Broken Promises
by FinallShadoww
Summary: Peter Parker has finally had it. He is done with responsibility and meaningless promises. His life is now a ruined mess and he is full of anger and rage. It's time to change; it's time he dealt with matters his own way, with nobody stopping him. Responsibility is worthless. Promises are empty. (Amazing Spider-Man post movie-verse) PeterxGwen. [UPDATE TOMORROW!]
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I do not own anything affiliated with Spider-Man or Marvel, etc, etc._

_A/N: The story is set post Amazing Spider-Man movie-verse. _

**Chapter One: Broken**

Peter continued to watch Gwen from afar, gazing at her through her apartment window at every chance he could, though he didn't dare get closer. He knew that his choice had been made, and after months of ignoring Gwen Stacy with extreme difficulty, he finally settled into his new life without her. Though his feelings for her were completely indescribable, like something from a romance novel, he continued to push her out of his life. It was for her own good, after all. It was so that she could be protected from any dangers Peter, and Spider-man, had to face. The last thing in the world Peter Parker wanted to witness was Gwen dying in his trembling arms; the thought sent his body into a cold shudder.

Eventually, after what seemed like hours upon hours of endless staring, Peter pried his eyes away from the apartment window and returned to his feet. He stretched his body and muscles, letting a soft groan escape from his mask, before finally leaping into the air once more. The cold air rippled against his suit as he dived towards the streets of Manhattan below, feeling an immense sense of adrenaline rush through his body, his arms held to his side.

Peter was quickly plummeting towards the concrete streets as onlookers began to point and shout in excitement and awe, causing him to grin widely from beneath his mask. Suddenly Peter realized that we was still falling at rocketing speeds, growing closer and closer to the ground below, before finally shooting a biocable from his wrist at the last second.

He immediately flew into the air once again, letting gravity do its job as he shot a glance at the sun setting over the concrete jungle in the distance that was New York. Another smile washed across his face as he took in the beauty of the city; the auburn sun was dusting the horizon in sparkling gold light, a canvas of watercolor behind it. Purples and pinks, oranges and reds, all merging into one indescribable color. The sheen of colors licked against the forest of skyscrapers, with the musical hum of car horns and traffic in the far distance. It was a sight that simply couldn't be beaten, and Peter Parker was able to witness it each day from the front row seats.

As he began to fall again, the weight of gravity pushing him back down, another biocable was shot and attached to a nearby building as Peter swung with all the momentum he could muster. He practically launched into the sky, his skin-tight red and blue spandex suit rippling against the fresh wall of wind which instantly greeted him as he maneuvered himself further into the air.

The feeling of swinging through the city as Spider-man was simply indescribable, almost magical, and Peter loved every second of it; it was a chance to escape the harsh reality of his teenage life.

Suddenly, something vibrated from within Peter Parker's satchel, which was currently flailing very loosely from his shoulders. He turned himself in the direction of a nearby tower, still flying through the air at rocketing speeds, before quickly landing on the roof with ease.

Peter reached into his bag rather unceremoniously and grabbed his cell quickly, hoping he could still answer the call in time, but the he was seconds too late.

"Great," Peter mumbled to himself numbly, opening his phone and looking through his missed calls. His eyes scanned the page, flitting over the recent missed contacts his phone had stored.

Gwen's named appeared several times; the page was practically filled with notifications of missed calls from her, but Peter didn't take much interest to those.

Quickly he found Aunt May's name appear on the top of the page. Peter sighed to himself and called back, hoping that he hadn't worried his aunt too much. All the poor woman seemed to do these days was worry about where her nephew was and why he returned so bloodied and beaten, though Peter never enlightened her with clear answers.

"Skateboarding," he would usually mumble to his aunt before quickly returning to his room, not daring to face his Aunt May directly. Usually she wouldn't pry, but that didn't stop her from worrying about Peter nonetheless. After a few seconds, in which Spider-man continued to stand atop the tall building overlooking the distant sunset with his cell phone held against his head, Aunt May picked up.

"Where are you?" she spoke sternly through the phone, causing Peter to shudder.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm really sorry, Aunt May," he stuttered through the phone quickly, hoping that his aunt wouldn't raise her voice any louder.

"When are you getting home?" Aunt May spoke again, though noticeably softer.

"I'll be there soon," Peter nodded comically into his cell before realizing that she can't see him.

"Hurry, please. Dinner's ready," she had returned to her stern voice.

"No, yeah, no-yeah, I'll be back in a few," Peter struggled to blurt out before finally ending the call and placing his cell back into his bag, letting a sigh of relief leave his dry lips.

Peter swung back into Queens within twenty minutes, quickly exchanging his Spider-man suit with his normal street clothes from within his bag as he walked into the house cautiously. Aunt May didn't seem to be anywhere downstairs, so Peter slumped into a kitchen chair quietly and stared down at his dinner. Meatloaf.

For a while, Peter simply glared blankly at his food, his mind wandering elsewhere as he thought of Gwen once more. He reminisced on the moments they had shared together, back before Captain Stacy had... left. Peter remembered the times they both would sit beside each other on the bleachers at school, not particularly focusing on anyone around them but themselves. He remembered how they used to kiss feverishly, their love quickly taking control over their brains as they drew closer and closer, not even stopping to take a breath. These thoughts grew larger and larger in Peter's brain, consuming him, before a soft voice rang into his ears.

"Peter? Are you alright?" Aunt May spoke concernedly as she stood beside him. Peter wondered how long she had been standing there and why he hadn't managed to sense her presence, but he quickly cleared his mind and mumbled, "Yeah," numbly. He didn't dare lift his gaze from his dinner plate, knowing that Aunt May would instantly see the bloodied bruises which had inevitably filled his face.

"Where were you?" she rounded on him, Peter still staring at his meatloaf absentmindedly.

"Was out," Peter spoke rather quickly, shoving a large piece of dinner into his mouth without really thinking.

"Out _where_?" May asked suspiciously, taking a seat on the kitchen chair beside him.

Peter racked his brains furiously for a plausible answer, but nothing popped into his mind. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, in which Peter took a great deal of time to swallow his meatloaf, he spoke, "Went out to study."

"You were out studying for five hours?" May spoke tiredly. "Why didn't you ring or leave a message? I was worried sick about you."

"M'sorry," Peter managed through a full mouth of grainy, tasteless meatloaf as he continued to stare blankly at his plate.

He heard his Aunt May let out a deep sigh, full of relief but impatience at the same time. "We need to talk," she said sternly, looking at her nephew. Peter didn't make any sign of acknowledgment towards his aunt for a long while as he pretended to be deeply invested in his tasteless meatloaf, before realizing he had devoured the entire thing.

He quickly grabbed his dinner plate and stood to his feet, trying to put distance between Aunt May and himself as he placed the dish into the sink. "Did you hear me?" May spoke again, slightly agitated as Peter continued to ignore her.

"Wha - oh yeah, no, yeah, yeah," Peter began to nod comically fast as he stumbled through his sentence. "Can we talk about it tomorrow, Aunt May? I'm pretty tired, and we have this big biology exam in the morning, so I think I should get some sleep." Peter tried to imitate an authentic yawn as he avoided Aunt May's eyes.

"No, we most certainty will not discuss this tomorrow!" she retorted, raising her voice and standing to her feet. Peter turned in shock at his aunt before finally giving up the debate and taking a seat at the kitchen table. "Now," May continued, lowering her voice as she attempted to calm herself, "We need to talk about your little... escapades outside of school."

Peter shot his eyes up at his aunt confusingly, though he already knew what she was going to say before she actually said it. "You are to ring me whenever you decide to go out after school, and I'll be setting you a curfew, Peter." she spoke with a tired sigh. Peter almost broke the kitchen table in his sudden surge of anger, clenching his fists in white balls as he began to tremble uncontrollably with rage.

"Am I clear?" Aunt May asked curtly, staring directly at Peter and he glared at the table. "Peter?" she spoke again, though this time her voice was soft and concerned. Peter Parker suddenly rose to his feet, planted a kiss on his aunt's cheek as he left the kitchen quickly.

"Going to bed, Aunt May." he mumbled under his breath as he trenched up the stairs angrily. Slowly, May lowered herself back into her kitchen chair and placed both her hands over her face, replaying the entire conversation from inside her head. She heard a door slam shut from above only a few seconds later, signifying that Peter was now in his room.

"Oh, Ben..." she sighed under her breath before eventually raising herself from the chair once more, as she began to slowly walk towards the stairs and into her room.

Peter Parker was now slumped on his messy bed, his mind reeling from the sudden surge of anger. Honestly, he didn't even know why he was so upset at his aunt; she had every right to set this curfew upon Peter. He never called her to explain where he was or when he'd get back home, and the stress and torture he must have put Aunt May through was almost unthinkable. But still, the thought of being tied down to a curfew was infuriating to Peter. Eventually, he began to calm his body, taking in deep intakes of air as he attempted to clear his mind. Unfortunately, this peaceful silence didn't last very long.

Peter's mind raced into overdrive; he thought of all of the events which had taken place over the past year, in such a short amount of time. He reminisced over finding his father's briefcase, meeting Dr. Curtis Connors, falling victim to a genetically altered spider bite which in turn gave him unspeakable powers, witnessing the death of his beloved Uncle Ben, donning the Spider-man mantle, realizing his responsibilities toward the city, defeating the Lizard, and finally... promising to keep Gwen out of it.

Peter suddenly shook his head in anger, now thinking about Gwen Stacy, the girl he still loved. His eyes began to swell with hot tears of pain and fury. Finally, he knew he needed some well deserved air. Peter's eyes flicked towards his bag which still contained his red and blue Spider-man suit and opened it with force. He exchanged his normal clothes for his spandex suit once again as he leaped out of his window and into the cold night air, shooting a biocable in the direction of Gwen Stacy's apartment.

**R/R. Much more to come. Thanks guys :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Distractions**

Manhattan's icy temperatures didn't deter Peter from swinging further towards Gwen's apartment building. He continued to maneuver himself into the air gracefully, flying at intense speeds as he soared into the freezing night sky with ease. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, his suit rippled from the intense flurries of cold wind, and Peter's angry thoughts were slowly easing with the passing of time.

Gwen Stacy's apartment was slowly becoming more and more visible with each swing of his web, giving Peter some time to think over the entire ordeal. He was only minutes away from entering her room through the fire escape, only minutes away from seeing her beautiful features again after months of avoiding her, only minutes away from breaking Captain George Stacy's promise.

Peter instantly released his grip from the biocable he was currently holding and landed unceremoniously onto a building rooftop, tumbling as his feet collided with the hard ground. He groaned and simply lay on the roof, thinking things over in his head. If he truly loved Gwen, he would have to keep the promise he made to her dying father no matter what; it was simply the responsible thing to do. _Responsibility._

The word rang through Peter's head, his anger quickly beginning to rise once more as he returned to his trembling feet. Responsibility seemed to be the one thing that clouded his life at all times, bonding itself to him like some kind of alien symbiote. He hated the feeling of pushing everyone he loves away to protect them from getting hurt, only to hurt them anyway by ignoring them completely. Peter was quickly losing everything he cares about and he can't do anything about it because of his _responsibilities._

Quickly Peter's anger intensified, causing him to roar of rage into the night sky. His voice echoed throughout New York's skyline, though he doubted anyone would've heard. That's when Peter discovered the silver lining of the situation; the night was still young, the sun only recently setting just over an hour ago, giving him time to continue his acts of justice as the mysterious Spider-man. The thought of letting his bottled anger and frustration out at petty criminal's suddenly brought somewhat of a smile to Peter's face.

He slowly walked to the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the bustling streets of New York, and let a long sigh escape his trembling lips. "What have you got for me tonight, New York?" he spoke to himself quietly, his eye lenses surveying the entirety of the city. Suddenly something vibrated from within his belt; his cell phone. But it wasn't another call from Aunt May or Gwen; it was the police radio frequency which he had embedded into his phone going off with a reported hostage situation at a nearby tower.

"Let's do this," Peter grumbled to himself, placing his phone back into his belt as he sprinted off of the rooftop, plummeting at indescribable speeds towards the concrete river of streets below. He shot a biocable onto the building nearest to him as he flung back into the sky, gravity doing it's work quite nicely in favor of Peter. Quickly he was free-falling back towards the ground, letting himself get only metres away from the citizens below before he shot another web into the night sky.

Many bystanders began calling him name with praise, but for once Peter didn't take much attention to this; he was almost completely fixated on intruding into the hostage situation. The building in which the crime was being committed was only a few blocks away from Peter, but he didn't slow down or stop to formulate some outline of a plan in his mind; he once again was rushing irrationally into battle without a clue of the dangers that awaited him.

In mere minutes, the building was in sight; several police copters were shining their lights onto the floor where the hostages were being kept, giving Peter a good indication of where he was needed. He shot a biocable from both hands, each one attaching themselves to the building under siege, and used all the strength he could muster to fling himself forwards through the cold night air.

He was practically flying face first into the building, not thinking about the consequences or dangers that were waiting for him. He could hear police officers shouting something into their microphones, but only inaudible noise blared into Peter's ears. In an instant, Spider-man had crashed into the building, sending glass flying in all directions. He quickly shot his eyes up, waiting for his spider-sense to alert him of any imminent dangers, but nothing happened. The police continued to yell into their speakers from outside, but still Peter ignored them; he knew he could handle whatever criminals were lurking in the shadows.

"Hey, yo! You're friendly neighborhood Spider-man is here!" Peter called into the empty office floor, waiting for a response. But nothing replied. He quickly narrowed his eyebrows and ventured deeper into the office departments, but nobody could be seen or heard even when using his advanced senses.

After an unsettling moment of silence, Peter suddenly heard a faint noise coming from the elevator shaft. He raced over to the elevator entrance and pried open the metallic doors which blocked his path, poking his head into the shaft and glancing around for the source of the sound. Eventually he spotted something which caused his eyes to widen with fear; five or six innocent civilians were tied to a blinking red object at the very bottom of the shaft, the shape of the object resembling something of a miniature nuke.

Peter gasped through his mask, his heart beating at a thousand miles per minutes as he stared down at the hostages. His first instinct was to jump down into the shaft and release them from the nuke, but he knew that he couldn't possibly get all six innocent civilians out of the building in time before the nuke set off and decimated half of New York. Suddenly he thought of another approach, although it stupidly dangerous; he would grab the nuke and rush out of the city, getting the bomb as far away from the heavily populated streets as possible. He settled on this irrational plan.

In an instant, Peter practically threw himself into the elevator shaft and landed at the bottom after a moment of free-fall. All six hostages were muffled and their hands were either tied to the nuke or each other. They squirmed sickeningly as they attempted to release themselves from capture on their own, but it was simply no use.

"Hey guys, my name is Spider-man, and if you wouldn't mind I'd like to take this bomb away from you as quickly as possible before anyone gets hurt," Peter muttered to the civilians absentmindedly as he broke their shackles which were connected to the nuke. The hostages began to thank Peter as soon as their mouths were free of the bonds, but he was already half-way up the elevator shaft, now holding the armed nuke, before he could hear their praise.

Once Peter was back on the empty office floor he hauled himself out of the window once again and shot a biocable out of his web shooters, attaching it to the building beside him. He wasted no time in fleeing from the police scene, the nuke now wrapped firmly in his arms, as he swung with building momentum towards the Williamsburg Bridge. The bomb continued to flash an ominous red glow every second or so, causing Peter to become more enveloped with fear as time quickly ticked away.

The Bridge was now in sight, and Peter estimated it would only take him another minute to reach the towering pillars above. Suddenly, an alarming shiver shot upright through Peter's spine and into his scalp; his spider-sense had gone off.

"No, no no, no no, no, no, no," Peter muttered to himself fearfully, now swinging violently through the cold night sky as he flung himself with audacity towards the Williamsburg Bridge. The miniature nuke was now glowing a dangerous red light every half a second as Peter began to sweat dreadfully under his Spider-man mask.

The Bridge was only seconds away now, so close in fact that Peter quickly shot another biocable into one of it's large towers. He landed cautiously on the side of the tall pillar, his hands shaking uncontrollably as he began to create some sort of contraption out of his own webbing fluid; a catapult.

He placed the miniature nuke into the catapult of webbing, Peter's hands still trembling violently, as he pulled down on his creation with every ounce of strength he had in him. He then released his grip on the webbing and the nuke plummeted straight down into the river below with a violent crash of water.

Nothing happened for the next ten seconds as Peter stared directly at the spot where the nuke had landed, until an immense outburst of fiery water and smoke clouded the ocean below. Peter shielded his mask from the underwater explosion, though he knew that he and the rest of the civilians on the Bridge were well out of harms way.

After a minute or two, the ringing of the explosion still fresh in Peter's ears, he decided it was time to leave the Bridge and return to Queens. The hostages were presumably safe, since Peter couldn't sense any other signs of life from within the building, so he didn't need to worry about any murders tonight. The police could handle the rest of the petty crimes until morning; he was completely ready for a nap.

Before Peter could shoot another biocable onto the side of the Willamsburg Bride and return home, his cell vibrated once again. He slowly reached for it with his trembling hands, and upon realizing it was yet another crime in motion, he placed it back into his belt.

Ten minutes had passed before Spider-man returned to Queens, his eyes heavy and his body aching. He cautiously crept into his room through the window and slumped onto his comfy mattress, his head feeling as if it suddenly weighed hundreds of tonnes. Peter decided that he would sleep in his red and blue spandex suit and change as soon as he woke up; he was simply too tired to move another muscle tonight. Peter's head hit the pillow like a brick and he was out cold.

The TV could be heard from the stairs that morning as Peter approached the kitchen, now dressed in his casual clothing and hungry beyond comparison. He practically wolfed down his toast, much to Aunt May's dismay, and turned to leave for school. Suddenly something in the news caught Peter's attention and he slowly turned to face the TV, a stone cold expression washing over his face.

The news broadcast was showing images of six civilians, all of whom Peter recognized as the hostages from the previous night, who had been reportedly murdered in the late hours of the morning. Anger began to surge through Peter's body as he clenched his fists into a ball, circulating his blood. His neck was straining and he could feel his legs beginning to tremble.

"Are you alright, Peter?" Aunt May asked concernedly, staring at her nephew. Peter nodded an absurd amount of times before turning to leave the house for school, quickly wishing his aunt had not noticed his sudden change of emotions.

Throughout the entire school day, Peter couldn't take his mind away from the fact that the innocent hostages had been brutally murdered only hours ago. He had saved them from impending death at the hands of a nuke, yet he couldn't save them from whatever it is that eventually ended their lives. The thought sent angry shivers throughout Peter's body. He was going to find the people involved in this; it wasn't just some coincidence that the hostages had been murdered. It was a ploy. Peter swore that he was going to find the sick bastards involved. He swore he was going to hurt them. He swore he was going to make them pay.

"Peter?" a soft voice suddenly rang into his ears.

Peter raises his head to see whoever was speaking to him, although he instantly wishes he didn't. Gwen Stacy was standing before him in an empty school hallway, her eyes large and bloodshot red.

**What did you think? Much more in store! Read and review, even if it's something simple. I love hearing your thoughts, guys. Next update soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Her**

Peter Parker shot his eyes to the dirty floor of the empty school hallway, avoiding Gwen's gaze with all of the willpower be could muster. He hadn't been prepared for such an immediate confrontation with her, and he knew that she was still obviously very upset with Peter. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, in which he still avoided making any eye contact with Gwen and instead decided to focus on his arguably more interesting shoelaces, she spoke to him again.

"P-Peter?" she spoke with a croaky, worn voice as Peter raised his head slightly, though still continuing to avoid those large red eyes.

He waited for a moment as he tried furiously to think of anything comforting he could say to her; something that would ease her up, something that would make her chuckle in that husky voice, something that would make her love him again. But nothing came into Peter's nervous mind. Eventually, though with great difficulty, he raised his head to face her, now staring at her smooth creamy skin and gorgeous blonde hair.

"H-hey," he managed to splutter out through jumbled words, still avoiding Gwen's bloodshot eyes. Peter couldn't help gazing at all of her amazing features; her curvaceous figure and her long, perfect legs. The list goes on and on for eternity. He suddenly shook his head violently and began to silently stare into the hallway from over her shoulders, making sure to not look at her again.

"Where have you been?" she croaked again, making Peter's throat tighten. Back all of those months ago, only days after George Stacy's unfortunate death, Gwen had proposed to stay friends with Peter and they eventually both agreed on it. But Peter had no intention of continuing contact with Gwen, as he thought it would be the safest option for her, and continued to avoid her in school and not reply to any of her texts. He knew that she must hate him now, and the thought made Peter's anger rise once again.

"Peter?" Gwen asked softly, noticing Peter's lack of interest in the conversation. He suddenly shot his head back up, now looking at her face again directly, and tried to stutter a sentence. "Y-yeah, no, yeah - sorry. I've just been caught up with Spider-man, you know, and y-yeah, I haven't really had a chance to swing by, you know?" he managed to say in between awkward pauses and stuttering. Gwen couldn't help but faintly smile at Peter Parker's inability to talk to girls.

"You haven't answered any of my calls," she spoke, her voice now softer and less strained. Peter now diverted his gaze to his locker and nodded comically fast.

"Yeah, I, um... yeah, no, sorry about that Gwen," he spoke rather quickly, shrugging as he continued to nod his head faster and faster. She looked at him with a perplexed yet amused expression.

"I heard about the, uh, bomb you decided to fling into the river," Gwen spoke, now holding back a slight smile. Peter instantly shot his head back into her direction, still nodding into the air.

"Oh, yeah... that," he spoke quietly, reminiscing about the events that took place the night before. Quickly his thoughts traveled to the news from this morning and the six innocent hostages who had been murdered in some sort of deranged ploy, and Peter's anger bubbled yet again and he held his skateboard ever so tighter.

"Did you... by any chance... happen to hear about what happened to the hostages?" Gwen whispered to Peter slowly, who once again nodded his head an absurd amount of times. He chose to not reply and began staring at the skateboard he was currently holding in his right hand, his fingers white from holding it so firmly without even realizing.

"Well, hey, uh... don't beat yourself up about it, Peter. You did a great job. I'd probably be dead if it weren't for you," Gwen smiled as she turned to walk back down the school hall, waving her hand with a brilliant smile washed over her face. Peter managed to smile too as he waved back at Gwen, who was now entering her class.

Peter instantly replayed the entire conversation over in his head, his mind racing at a mile a minute. The thought of saving Gwen and millions of other civilians last night brought a faint, genuine smile to his lips, but his sudden surge of joy didn't last long. Suddenly, he was once again thinking of his promise to George Stacy; the promise of keeping Gwen out of Peter's life. He hung his head in the air, once again staring at his dirty shoes as he placed his skateboard down onto the hallway floor.

'_I need some air,_' Peter thought to himself quickly as he practically glided his board down the hall and out of the main entrance doors of Midtown High Science. A wall of fresh air Peter's face like a brick wall as he rode into the bustling streets, not particularly paying any attention to where he was going; his spider-sense would help him weave in and out of bystanders, allowing him to be lost deep in thought without having to worry about a rough collision.

He began thinking of Gwen again, and the way her eyes were large and bloodshot red when he had first seen them. Had she been crying only minutes before finding him? And if so, Peter would obviously feel as if he needed to delve deeper into the matter, even though he knew he had to stay away from her. He needed to protect her, and becoming closer with Gwen was obviously a poor choice of judgement. But Peter simply couldn't ignore the girl he loves any longer; he needed to have a full conversation with her. It would hopefully fill the hole which was currently embedded into his heart.

Peter thought for a few minutes, still riding his skateboard absentmindedly through the busy streets, his advanced senses keeping him out of harms way. After a moment, Peter came to a conclusion; he would finally visit Gwen at her apartment tonight and unload everything he had to tell her. He would explain her father's promise, he would explain why he had ignored her, and he would explain the undying love he felt for her.

Peter looked up, suddenly realizing he was now standing outside of Aunt May's house with his skateboard firmly in his hand. He shrugged and walked towards the side of the house, leaping as quietly as possible into his window and planting his feet on the floor without making a sound. He placed his skateboard and schoolbag onto the bed, letting a sigh of relief leave his mouth as he slumped onto his desk chair.

Peter's eyes were still immensely heavy from the previous night of vigilante antics, and the thought of a quick nap seemed unimaginably appealing right now. Slowly, his vision became blurred and blackness covered him completely. He was only seconds away from slumber before something rang into his ears and alerted him instantly; his cell. He groaned and made his way slowly to his schoolbag, opening it to reach his cell without any sense of urgency.

Upon seeing the caller, Peter's eyes widened in shock.

_Harry Osborn._

**I know, I know. These first few chapters have been really short, and I'm sorry about that. But trust me, the next few will definitely be a decent size. Also what's to come in the next couple of chapters: Lots of Gwen, lots of Harry, lots of a darker Peter/Spider-man. Leave reviews, I love hearing from everyone! Stay tuned.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Osborn **

A gasp of hot air released itself from Peter's mouth as he laid eyes upon the caller; his old friend. Fumbling with his phone, a million questions racing through his mind, Peter answered the call only seconds before the line went dead. A bashful smile spread across his face at the thought of talking to his childhood friend once again after years upon years of being separated.

He slowly held the phone up to his ear, hands trembling against Peter's will as he listened for the sound of Harry's voice on the other end of the line. After a few moments of anxious silence, Harry Osborn finally croaked into Peter's ears, sending a jolt of excitement into his body.

"Hey, Pete?" Harry anxiously spoke into his phone, still bearing the sly yet confident voice Peter remembered from when they were both small kids.

"Harry?!" Peter exclaimed incredulously, his excitement quickly getting the better of him. "W-where are you? Are you back in New York? H-how long have you been out of boarding school!?" Endless questions buzzed through Peter's mind as he waited for an answer from Harry, who had remained silent since the initial greeting. After another moment of uncomfortable silence, in which Peter paced his messy room in anticipation, a long and overdrawn sigh left Harry Osborn's mouth.

"Y-yeah, I'm back in New York. My flight got in at like six this morning, so I'm pretty beat, you know?" Harry mumbled into the phone tiredly, letting another yawn escape his lips. Peter nodded into his phone only to mentally hit himself for realizing Harry couldn't see him.

"Oh, yeah - yeah, t-that's awesome," Peter spluttered into his phone, an audible smile on his lips. He heard Harry give a faint laugh from the other end of the line.

"Well, hey man, why don't you come over tonight? I haven't seen you in _years_," Harry Osborn laughed into Peter's ears. This offer instantly caught Peter's attention; the two friends definitely needed to catch up as soon as possible, and Peter didn't see any reason to not attend the bonding session with Harry. It simply meant that he would have to push his meeting with Gwen a little further into the night, but sunset had yet to be broken and Peter saw no other issues arise.

"Course, man - of course. I'm dying to catch up," Peter beamed into his phone, in turn receiving another genuine laugh from Harry on the other end.

"That's great, Pete - that's really great," Harry happily spoke, his apparent tiredness from the flight to New York seemingly dissolving into thin air. Peter was glad that he had helped lighten up his friend's spirits, even if only a little. "I can't believe this man! Finally, I can have a chance to sit down with an actual friend and talk about pointless crap!" Harry gave a faint laugh in between his words, making Peter beam.

"Hey, uh - I-I'll drop by at seven?" Peter grinned as he checked his watch, waiting for Harry's confirmation.

"Yeah, definitely, Pete," the cheerful words rang into Peter's ears from the other end of the line. "We have a lot to catch up on."

Suddenly Peter heard some sort of commotion coming from downstairs; the front door was being opened. He thought of his aunt May, and upon checking the time on his watch once again he realized that her shift had finished ten minutes ago and she was now finally returning home.

"I'll - I'll see you then, Harry, a-alright?" Peter managed to blurt out, still smiling broadly from the entire conversation; in fact his mouth was beginning to feel numb.

"Can't wait, man," Harry once again spoke into the phone in between faint laughs before finally ending the call.

Peter dropped his phone onto his messy bed and turned to leave his room, kicking his worn shoes off as he went. He opened his door quickly and made his way down the stairs and into the crowded kitchen below, instantly laying his heavy eyes upon his frail aunt who had somehow managed to carry in numerous shopping bags along with her, all packed to the brim with foods and other necessitates.

"Woah, woah woah," Peter breathed urgently, the smile wiping from his face as he raced to help his aunt with the shopping. "Let me do this for you, Aunt May."

A puzzled expression washed across his aunt's face as she gave him a perplexing stare. "Peter Parker, I am perfectly capable of bringing my own groceries into my own home," she spoke firmly with a hint of exasperation littered in her voice. Peter chose to ignore the comments made by his aunt May as he continued to unload the shopping and began storing them accordingly into the fridge and cupboard.

Eventually May decided to lay back and enjoy her moment of rest while Peter finished packing away the groceries, knowing that he wouldn't have her carrying anything heavier than she needed to. She smiled weakly, knowing how much Peter cared for her and seeing the kindhearted young man he was quickly shaping up to be.

After a few moments of blissful rest, with Peter putting the last of the groceries into the fridge for his aunt, she spoke to him again. "Thank you, Peter, but you really didn't have to do all that for me," she sighed, still smiling broadly.

Her nephew spun around quickly, shooting his beloved aunt a look of complete bewilderment. "Are you - y-yeah, I - Aunt May - yes I-I - I did," Peter eventually spluttered out, still looking aghast at May.

"I'm not _that_ old, Peter. I can still carry groceries," she mused, nodding towards Peter.

"Y-yeah, but - but these bags were heavy, even for me! I'm still wondering how you got all of them into the kitchen so quickly," Peter chuckled, planting a kiss on his aunt's cheek. She also faintly laughed with her nephew before swatting her hand in the air.

"Now, what do you want for dinner? I was thinking about making some meatloaf-"

"No, no, no no, no, no, no, that's - that's okay, aunt May, really," Peter managed to breathe, slightly alarming May as she stared at him confusingly. "You don't need to make me anything to eat. I'm going out to Harry's house soon," he beamed at his aunt, who took a moment to soak the information through her ears and into her brain before finally registering what Peter had said.

"H-harry? Harry - _Harry Osborn_?!" she gasped, now looking up hopefully at her nephew who nodded excitedly. May suddenly grasped Peter into a soft, embracing hug as she cupped his face in her wrinkling hands, both of them positively beaming with overwhelming joy.

"Yeah, he - he got into New York at like six this morning! I was talking to him just then, and he wants me to come over!" Peter shrugged and grinned feverishly, still nodding his head comically into the air.

"Peter, that's _brilliant_ news! Oh my, you two used to be such close friends before he - he... left," May's eyes flickered around the room quickly, Peter noticing the sudden shift of emotion's from her aunt. But almost as soon as the change had occurred it had left, May instantly returning to her cheery mood and grasping Peter for one more hug before finally letting him go.

"Now go back upstairs and get ready! I don't want the first thing for Harry to think is how much of a slob my Peter Parker is!" she beamed, pointing her index finger towards Peter's room with a slight hint authority in her tone.

Peter nodded into the air again, his messy unkempt hair waving as he went. He practically launched himself back upstairs and turned back into his room, shutting the door while simultaneously locking it again with his automated door lock device. He quickly slumped onto his desk chair and stared blankly into his wardrobe, seeing no clothes in particular that screamed good fashion.

Eventually he settled on his favorite pair of dark jeans, which he was already wearing anyway, and his favorite gray and blue Hoodie. He turned to leave the messy room again and made his way into the bathroom to inspect his appearance. The first thing Peter Parker noticed was his complete pigsty of brown matted hair which bundled itself on top of his scalp. Peter made no attempt to fix his unkempt hair and instead moved his hoodie over his head and shoved his hands into the comfortable pockets on his side; problem solved.

He lifted his right arm from it's pocket quickly and glanced at the current time. _Six Thirty-Seven_. Feeling his appearance was as good as it was going to get, Peter turned to make his way out of the bathroom and down the creaking wooden stairs. Giving his aunt May a long, overdrawn kiss and bidding her farewell, Peter shut the front door from behind and made his way towards Osborn Manner.

Once Peter was a reasonable distance from the Parker residence, he lifted an arm to the skyline and shot a sturdy biocable from his web shooters, quickly attaching it to a nearby building. He hoisted himself into the air in spectacular fashion, flinging his body gracefully to the sky with ease and he continued to produce the strong biocables from his wrists, swinging with building momentum towards his friend's large and towering home.

Soon he was once again flying through the air at unthinkable speeds, taking in the distant sunset as it cracked among the concrete jungle that was New York. The sight was truly amazing, something Peter felt lucky to experience as he swung by webs through the skyline towards Osborn Manner.

Only a few minutes later, something vibrated from Peter's dark blue jeans. He landed seamlessly onto the rooftop of the nearest building and placed his hand into his pocket, feeling for his phone. He finally grasped it and held it out, squinting to make out the text which was currently sprawled across his screen:

_Peter, _

we need to talk, please.

The text was only short, but it caught Peter's undivided attention immediately; it was from Gwen.

**How did you like this one? I'm sorry the plot is kinda slow and boring right now, but in no time things will finally be set into place. Leave a review on how you think I'm doing so far; this is really my first attempt at a proper fanfic, and I love hearing from you guys! What's to come in the next few chapters: Gwen tries to get closer with Peter, Harry is undoubtedly acting strangely, and Peter/Spidey is on a slowly descending spiral into anger and violence. Stay tuned :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Disagreements**

Peter stared at the text for what seemed like hours, his heart thumping maddeningly against his chest. Once again, Gwen had wanted to talk with him, but now something was stirring inside of his head. He was already going to swing by Gwen Stacy's house after his visit at Osborn Manor, so now he had yet another reason to finally go through with it. Suddenly, a large grin swept across Peter's face; he was going to have a full conversation with the girl he still loves after several painful months of avoiding her.

Peter slowly unlocked the phone, his throat still lodged firmly in his throat as he began typing a reply. Once he had finished, he read over the text again and again to make sure it was as casual as possible.

_Hey, yeh let's talk. I'll swing by l8r. _

Satisfied with his response, he pressed the send button and closed his phone again, placing it back into his black satchel. For a moment, Peter thought about the night George Stacy had died in the midst of his fight against the Lizard, and the promise he had forced unto Peter about keeping Gwen out of Spider-man's life . But, for the first time, Peter shook his head at the thought of the promise and pushed it out of his mind, instead focusing on continuing his journey to Harry's house.

He leaped off of the tall building he had been standing on moments prior, now plummeting at increasing speeds towards the earth with his hands firmly to his side. The long building was flying past Peter's peripheral vision in the corner of his eye, causing him to smile brilliantly. Soon he was only a dozen or so feet from the concrete floor, but he once again shot a long, sturdy biocable with ease towards a nearby skyscraper.

Peter could hear groups of bystanders gasping in awe as he flung himself back into the air, managing a few somersaults as he went higher towards the skyline of New York. He continued to rocket past buildings and civilians, making sure his grey and blue hoodie was properly concealing his face as he swung. Onlookers shouted excitedly at him as he passed, making Peter's smile ever so larger.

Peter Parker's life may be flawed in indescribable ways, but the moments he shared as Spider-man as he flew through New York were completely priceless. He knew he could never give up the hero's mantle, not for anything in the world; he had a responsibility to protect the city with all his heart and soul.

Suddenly Peter's smile disappeared completely. _Responsibility_. The word had once again slivered it's way into Peter's brain, controlling him, forcing him to always follow the path his Uncle Ben had taught him to follow; the path of the good and just. It was undeniably one of the phrases Peter had relished his Uncle saying, but something about forcing himself into a life of unbreakable responsibility and promise seemed so unappealing and tiresome. It was a dangerous lifestyle already; donning the Spider-man mantle and fighting low-life criminals in order to protect the city, in turn putting Peter's life on the line. The job was an amazing experience for Peter, and he loved every second of it, the good and the bad. But in order for him to continue being the hero everyone now knows and loves, he would have to make sacrifices. He would have to make promises.

Yet again he thought of Captain Stacy's request, and anger slowly bubbled away in Peter's blood. In order to continue being Spider-man, he needed to push the people closest to him out of his life in order to protect them. Gwen knew this all too well, and Peter had obviously regretted avoiding her for the past few painful months, but he did it for her safety; he did it because he loved her and couldn't live without her.

Peter sighed, still swinging across the New York skyline with his self developed web shooters and Spider-man suit in his bag, pondering on his upcoming meeting with Gwen that was only a few short hours away. He screwed up his face in anger and concentration, thinking furiously. A conversation with Gwen Stacy wouldn't put anyone in immediate danger, and he wasn't placing her back into his life of crime-fighting and teenage angst; he was simply going to talk with her for a single night. Peter wouldn't be breaking George Stacy's promise at all; but then again, what if Captain Stacy was wrong.

Peter stopping swinging from his webs abruptly as he collided with the side of a skyscraper, sticking to it with ease, soaking in the distant sunset which was cracking over the concrete jungle of New York. His hands and body were trembling violently as he forced his eyes shut, trying with every ounce of strength he could muster to slowly calm down. After a moment, Peter's body eventually ceased shaking and returned to it's normal state, causing Peter to sigh deeply. He didn't dare open his eyes and simply remained in the blackness which clouded his vision, still taking sharp intakes of air into his lungs furiously.

What was he thinking? Captain George Stacy was a great man. A _brilliant _man. He couldn't believe what was ringing through his own mind. He knew that Captain Stacy loved Gwen with all of his heart and was only taking the necessary precautions to keep her safe, and Peter knew that perfectly well. Maybe the Captain was right; maybe Peter should just stay away from Gwen altogether.

Finally, with his body calm and his breathing back to normal, Peter grumbled in anger. He threw his head into his hand and rubbed his fingers through the messy matted hair which was cascading over Peter's scalp. He then laid his entire body against the side of the skyscraper and realized he was hundreds of metres above the bustling concrete streets below. It was quiet and peaceful up in the skyline of New York, and Peter considered just staying up here for the remainder of his life.

Suddenly a noise protruded from Peter's black satchel, making Peter slightly jump. He opened the bag and grabbed his phone, noticing another text sprawled across the now illuminated screen.

_U comin Pete?_

Peter noticed that the text was from none other than Harry Osborn and he cursed under his breath, glancing at the time: _Ten past Seven_. In an instant he leaped back into the cold air of the New York skyline and shot another web into a nearby tower, now forcing himself to build momentum quickly as he threw himself into the sky once more...

**:::Osborn Manor:::**

Another ten minutes had passed before Peter arrived on the doorstop of the Osborn Manor. He glanced nervously around at his surroundings as he waited for the large oaken doors to open, still wondering on what he and Harry were going to talk about once they were finally face to face. Peter ran his fingers through his brown matted hair once again as he placed his fingers on the large doorbell and wondered if he should press it a fifth time.

Suddenly the large doors creaked open, making Peter shoot his hands back to his sides as he glanced at the butler standing before him in the enormous doorway. "Ah, you must be Mr. Parker?" the old butler spoke, eyeing him cautiously.

"Y-y-yeah," Peter managed to splutter, trying to avoid eye contact with the aging man and instead focused on peering into the mansion behind him.

"Harry has been waiting anxiously for your arrival. Please, do come in," the butler suddenly smiled warmly. Peter was slightly taken aback by the sudden change in emotions on the old man's face, but he too smiled broadly and took cautious steps towards the large oaken doors. The butler ushered him inside and closed the wooden doors once Peter had made his way into the mansion.

Peter Parker couldn't believe that Harry, his closest friend, lived in such a pristine and frankly overwhelming home. He glanced at the master staircase which was leading upstairs, the expensive furniture and accessories which were practically littered in every room in sight, the gleaming white kitchen which housed endless amounts of exquisite food and ingredients, and the list went on and on.

Suddenly Peter glanced towards the master staircase upon hearing faint footsteps and locked his eyes on the familiar young man standing before him. "Harry?" Peter asked incredulously, staring at his childhood friend who was now walking down the enormous wooden stairs.

"Pete," Harry nodded, smiling with his distinctive and somewhat sly face. Peter nodded and began to chuckle subconsciously, eyeing his old buddy as Harry made his way to the bottom of the furnished steps. "It's been a while."

"Y-yeah. Years man - it's been years," Peter laughed, unsure of whether he should move closer towards Harry or simply stay standing in his current spot. His choice was suddenly made for him as Harry strode towards Peter and grasped him into a warm, overdrawn hug.

"It's so good to see you, Pete," Harry chuckled as he slapped Peter's back softly a few dozen times, eventually pulling back and staring directly into his childhood friends' face. "It's been way too long."

Peter continued to nod and chuckle subconsciously as he held out a hand towards Harry, who in turn clasped it into his palms and shook firmly. The two friends made their way upstairs as Harry Osborn pointed to each room in the large mansion and explained their purpose and use. Peter was stuck in a trance of awe as he glanced at everything Harry owned, pondering on the thoughts of how lucky Harry truly was.

"W-wow, Harry. You've got like everything in here," Peter mumbled to his friend, still staring at the immense towering pillars that were holding the roof in place. Harry simply nodded and pointed in the direction of his room as he turned to walk further into the long mansion corridor, with Peter following suit.

Eventually they both found themselves in Norman Osborn's study, which had made made Peter slightly nervous. "S-should we be in here, Harry?" he asked, glancing around at the endless notes and folders with the Oscorp label printed in plain view. Harry laughed as he shrugged nonchalantly towards Peter.

"Dad's never really home anyway. He's always at Oscorp, you know," Harry began to trail off. Peter knew that Norman Osborn and his son had never been on great terms. Harry believed that this was because he was a disappointment to his father, which in turn drew them even further apart until eventually Harry was shipped to boarding school.

"H-hey, um Pete?" Harry mumbled nervously to Peter. "I-I-I'm sorry about - about cutting you off all those years ago. It was selfish and - and I apologize." Peter couldn't believe what he was was hearing, though he smiling and began nodding his head again with a shrug.

"Don't worry bout it, man. It's in the past," Peter replied, still nodding comically into the air. Instantly Harry's shoulders dropped, indicating that he had been firmly tensing them while apologizing to his friend.

"T-thanks, Peter. You're a good friend," he smiled weakly.

"Anytime," Peter laughed happily. Soon they were both in Harry's room, sitting on his pristine leather couch while watching the news on his over-sized HD Plasma TV. Neither of them had really been paying attention to the screen until Harry spoke in accordance with a currently running story focused on the growing rates of appreciation towards the mysterious masked hero known as Spider-man.

"He's - he's strange, huh?" Harry nodded towards the news report, causing Peter to slightly shift in his seat. "I mean, I'm out at school and I start hearing all these news reports about some guy dressed in a unitard fighting a mutated dinosaur."

"I-It was a lizard," Peter mumbled, making Harry laugh rather abruptly.

"Whatever, man. Just saying that as soon as this... spider guy came in, some strange crap has been going on in the city, you know what I mean?" Harry asked Peter, still chuckling faintly. Peter simply nodded and glued his eyes to the television screen, his mind in deep thought.

It was definitely true what Harry was saying, and Peter couldn't help but wonder if he should eventually confide his secret to his friend sometime in the future or keep the secret to himself and Gwen. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted when Harry nudged him firmly on the arm with his fist. "Hey, you alright Pete?"

"Wha - o-oh, yeah, yeah," Peter laughed shakily, trying to hide his torn emotions. Harry eyed his suspiciously before settling back into his leather seat again comfortably, eyes staring back at the TV. For the next hour the two friends talked about school and their own social lives, before Harry told Peter that he would be returning to Midtown High Science in the coming days.

"D-dude, that's great!" Peter beamed to Harry, who nodded and returned to drinking his cold beverage. "When are you starting?"

"Probably next Monday, much to my dismay," Harry laughed, finishing his can of coke and placing it on his glass coffee-table.

"This is gonna be great, man. You're gonna really liven things up at school," Peter chuckled, nudging Harry firmly on the arm. "I bet the girls will be all over you," he said sarcastically.

"Speaking of girls being all on us, what about you?" Harry asked slyly, "you got a girl?"

Peter's heart instantly sank and his face turned cold and pale. He waited for a moment, furiously thinking of how he was going to explain his love life to Harry without giving away too much information. Harry had a puzzled expression on his face as he waited for Peter to reply.

"I-I-It's a long story," Peter eventually blurted out. Harry nodded in understanding, slowly sitting upright in his seat and stretching his arms with a groan.

"I getcha, Pete. Trouble in paradise," he grinned maliciously, making Peter almost spit out his coke in flurries of uncontrollable laughter. Another ten minutes passed before Peter glanced at the time on his watch again, and upon seeing how late he had stayed in the Osborn's company he decided it was time to take his leave and make his way to Gwen's house.

"You sure you don't wanna stay a little longer, Pete?" Harry asked unsurely as Peter made his way out of the large oaken doors of the Osborn Manor and out into the chilly night air.

"I can't tonight, sorry man," Peter managed to speak in between chattering teeth. Harry simply nodded and bid Peter farewell before closing the large wooden doors and disappearing from sight. Making sure that he was a fair distance away from the Manor, Peter leaped into the freezing night air and onto the roof of a small nearby building, pulling his phone out of his bag and unlocking it.

He was instantly greeted by a picture of he and Gwen, which was still set as the phone's background. His heart skipped a beat as he opened his messages and pressed on her name. He was seconds from writing a text to Gwen explaining that he would be at her house soon before an explosion rang into his ears and Peter's spider senses flared maddeningly.

"What he hell-" he managed before his eyes set on the flaming, destroyed debris of Osborn Manor. An entire half of the building had been decimated and was soaking in red flames, while the other half seemed to be intact. Peter prayed that Harry was in the undamaged half of the house before he quickly threw his arms into the black bag and withdrew his red and blue Spider-man suit. In seconds he had once again donned the mantle of New York's hero as he shot a biocable from each wrist, attaching them to the undisturbed side of the Manor. He walked backwards slowly, gripping the web cables firmly as he built tension.

Suddenly he flung himself forwards, launching off of the rooftop and into the cold night air as he collided with the wall Harry's house. He looked for an entrance into the building and suddenly sighted a nearby window. He raced over, practically running along the wall with audacity as he threw himself through the large glass plane and into the upstairs study room of Norman Osborn. Files and documents had crashed to the carpeted floor and sprawled in every corner of the room.

Peter ignored these and simply ran through them and into the burning hall of the Manor. Flames and debris flew in all directions as Peter called frantically for Harry. "Harry? Harry?! HARRY!?" He was screaming at the top of lungs before he stopped dead in his tracks.

Harry Osborn was being held by his arm centimeters from the ground, his wavy fringe covering a majority of his face. He had a large cut on the side of his head, blood gashing profusely down his unconscious facial features. Peter looked in anger to the thing hoisting Harry into the air, and what he saw made his face turn pale and all the air from his body escape through his lips.

**There's another chapter done and dusted. Slowly the plot will be putting itself into place, because I know right now most of you will probably be confused. But don't fret, because more chapters will be on their way shortly! What's to come: A enraged and tormented Peter, a new dangerous threat, and more Gwen/Peter fluff. Stay tuned and pleassseee review, it really helps me more than you think. Thanks guys**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Fire**

Peter Parker watched, horrified, as a grotesque green monster held Harry in it's grasp. The monster was at least seven feet tall, easily towering over Peter as it stood in the flaming corridor, it's head brushing against the ceiling slightly. The floor underneath the monster had caved in to some extent under it's immense weight. Upon seeing Peter in his red and blue Spider-man suit, the green monster let out a malicious grin.

It was unlike anything Peter had ever seen before; it's body was completely green and packed to the absolute brim with muscle, sharp horns were protruding from it's shoulders and up onto it's scalp, it's eyes were completely green and menacing, yet confusingly it's facial features were somewhat... human. It was an absolute atrocity. A complete freak. A Goblin.

"Put Harry down!" Peter yelled to the grotesque monster, using as much confidence in his tone as he could muster. The fire from the Manor was quickly spreading into the untouched rooms around them as Spider-man and the Goblin locked eyes. At first the monster didn't move an inch, before finally dropping Harry to the heated ground like a limp ragdoll.

Peter's eyes grew wider with hatred and fury, though he doubted he could take on this abomination head to head and walk away to tell the tale. Instead he surveyed the monster, trying not to wince as he flit his eyes across the masculine body and it's goblinesque features.

"Yo, why do all my enemies have to go with the color green?" Peter hollered at the Goblin, who frowned with an unamused expression washing across his horrible face. Peter noticed the two skin colored horns which were protruding out of the monster's scalp and shuddered.

Suddenly a large portion of the ceiling caved in and sent debris and fire flying in all directions, momentarily knocking Peter onto the burning floor. He instantly jumped back to his feet and glanced at the hallway around him; fire now enveloped in entire Manor corridor as the rest of the house began to cave in.

Before Peter could react, a large, grotesque green hand slammed directly into his face as he was sent flying into the Osborn mansion walls, crashing with unbelievable force into the next room. Peter groaned in pain as he tried to return to his feet, only to once again feel a halacious goblinesque fist slam into his jaw.

Peter's body broke through yet another wall as he flew like a ragdoll into the chilly night air, feeling hot blood curdle out of his mouth and down his burning jaw as it seeped against his mask. He felt like he was falling in slow-motion towards the hard ground, staring wide eyed at the debris and flames that had engulfed the entirety of the once proud Osborn Manor. Eventually Peter landed with a painful groan onto the concrete driveway below, gasping for air as he clutched his mouth in agony.

The Goblin leaped carelessly out of the crater Peter had created in the wall and landed with a booming crack onto the concrete below, the earth shaking against his steps. There was nothing Peter could do to defend himself as the Green menace stood over his body, completely shadowing him in the process.

"_P-p-p-Par-_" The Goblin tried to speak, though all that escaped from it's grotesque mouth were slurs and spit. Peter took this as an opportunity as he pushed his entire body from the cold concrete ground and slammed both of his feet directly into the monster's diaphragm, sending it flying backwards with a deafening screech.

"And stay down!" Peter yelled through a mouth of hot blood as he stared down at the Goblin, who was now sprawled across the hard concrete. Spider-man watched as the Green monster began to stir, causing Peter's spider senses to flare immediately into his pounding head. He instinctively leaped into the cool air, his eyes still locked on the sickening sight of the Goblin who was attempting to return to his large bony feet.

Suddenly, bright red flames protruded out of the Goblin's pointed backside and a malicious cackle escaped his goblinesque lips. Peter widened his eyes at the sight, still high above the ground as he quickly shot a biocable onto a nearby building, putting distance between him and the cackling monster.

This didn't deter the Goblin, who's flamed backside continued to illuminate the dark night sky as he leaped after the red and blue hero. "Oh shi-" Peter began before being cut off by the Green monster, who had landed into a building only metres away from himself. Peter stopped swinging and landed unceremoniously onto the bustling city streets, yelling at bystanders and onlookers to leave as quickly as possible.

"GET OUT OF HERE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!" Peter bellowed to the citizens as the halacious cackling of the Goblin once again rang into his ears. In an instant, the Green monster had leaped out of the building and landed back onto the streets, now facing Peter with a devilish grin.

"I can't run. I have to stay and fight," Peter mumbled under his breath, his heart pounding sickeningly against his chest as his mouth filled with sticky red blood. The Goblin was almost two times as big as Peter, and just as strong, if not more; this fight was going to be a grueling one.

"_P-p - Par - P-p,_" the Goblin breathed through spit and teeth. Peter instantly froze, his hands trembling and his face turning into a pale shell of what it used to be. The Green Goblin's grin widened as he leaped high into the night sky once again, flaring Peter's senses, causing him to jump out of the way. The Goblin violently crashed into the spot where Peter had only been standing in seconds prior, shaking the entire street as concrete as debris flew in all directions.

Peter shot two trusty biocables directly into the Goblin's face, though it barely did anything to deter the monster from it's destructive rampage. It turned it's goblinesque body and placed it's large green hands upon a yellow taxi cab. Peter watched in horror as the Green menace lifted the cab with ease and turned to face the red and blue hero, resuming his devilish cackle with delight as he hauled the taxi in Peter's direction.

Spider-man's senses went into overdrive as Peter instinctively leaped back into the air, watching the yellow taxi cab crash violently into the side of a local bar building. "I hope you're gonna pay for that, Gobby!" Peter quipped nervously as he landed back onto his two trembling feet, once again shooting flurries of web into the Green abomination's face.

The Goblin resumed his malicious cackling, fire still flailing in all directions from his horned back as he leaped into the air once more, directly towards Peter. This time Spider-man was prepared and waited until the Goblin was only feet away before dodging. The ground shook violently against the monster once he landed as Peter jumped onto it's burning back, ready to wail fists of fury upon the Green danger.

"_P- Par - Park - e-e_" the Goblin tried to speak before Peter slammed a clenched fist into it's mouth, receiving a deafening screech in return. Peter leaped off of the horned back of the monster, his suit only seconds away from being set alight due to the violent flames which continued to protrude from the Green menace. The loud screech bellowed from the Goblin into the cold lifeless sky before he finally ceased, glaring at Peter with unblinking green eyes, fury and fire filling the void.

"Could you quiet down, Gobby? There's people trying to sleep," Peter quipped, still trembling uncontrollably against his will as he locked eyes with the malicious Goblin. Suddenly, a wide devilish grin washed over the monster's face yet again as he cackled at Peter from across the now decimated city street.

"_P-p - peop - le..._" the Goblin spoke through it's clenched teeth, now moving it's goblinesque head in the direction of the nearby buildings which surrounded the populated area. Peter's heart dropped yet again; the Green Goblin began moving towards the buildings, now ignoring Spider-man completely. It was going to kill everyone in sight.

"Oh, no you don't!" Peter called as he leaped in the direction of the green monster, landing directly beside it as he and slammed another clenched fist into it's horned head. This time, the Goblin simply cackled louder and turned to face Peter slowly, flailing a fist in the direction of Peter's head. The trembling teenage boy leaped above the Goblin once again and landed behind it, shooting two strong biocables which both attached to the back of the Green monster's cranium. He pulled down on the webs with all of his remaining strength as the Goblin crashed violently into the concrete yet again, now howling his devilish cackle into the cold night sky above.

Suddenly a bright gleaming light illuminated around both Peter and the Goblin. Police choppers were hovering above the decimated street, yelling through their blaring microphones to cease the fight immediately and return to police custody. "Oh, great!" Peter spoke angrily under his breath as the Goblin returned to his bony goblinesque feet, still cackling horribly.

Peter's spider senses were now blaring sickeningly against his skull as he watched bright red flames emit from the Green Goblin's own two palms. He watched in horror, unable to stop the dangerous new enemy, as the Goblin threw large balls of fire into the police choppers above. An explosion of rotors, chunks of decimated chopper and blinding red fire boomed into New York's once peaceful skyline.

Peter's eyes filled with tears as he roared in rage, suddenly turning his head from the fiery explosion in the sky and instead focusing on the Goblin, who was now cackling louder than ever. "I'LL KILL YOU!" he bellowed at the Goblin, who was still eyeing the explosion he had just created from his own two monstrous hands. Suddenly Peter slammed fist after fist after fist into the Green abomination's face as he screamed in anger, not stopping for anything in the world. He sent a powerful uppercut directly into the Goblin's jaw, sending it flying into a distant Toyota with a deafening screech of pain.

Green blood oozed from the monster's mouth as he instinctively threw flurries of fireballs at Peter, who dodged them all with ease as he leaped into the air above the streets. Two biocables suddenly attached themselves onto both of the Goblin's shoulders as Peter slammed into the monster's diaphragm, a sickening crack bellowing throughout the air. Peter glanced at the grotesque face of the Goblin, and for the first time since the entire fight he noticed it looked angry; furious even.

"P-P-PARKRRRRR!" it screeched as Peter plummeted yet another fist into it's menacing teeth, simultaneously breaking a majority of them.

"Could ya keep it down, Gobby? I got a secret identity to keep," Peter muttered under his breath as he watched the Goblin slump it's menacing head; the Green nightmare was unconscious.

Peter sighed deeply with relief as he fell to his knees, his jaw burning with pain and filling with blood. His suit was scorched by the flames which had protruded from the Goblin and he could feel a cold breeze sweeping into his mask. He turned his head slightly and glanced at the Goblin once more, though he was shocked to find that the monster had disappeared completely from view. All that remained was the decimated Toyota and the destroyed street in which their fight had taken place.

Peter could hear distant sirens and he too decided that it was time to disappear. He outstretched his tired arms and shot a biocable, attaching it to a building as he swept himself into the air once more in the direction of Gwen Stacy's apartment.

**A/N: If you were wondering what this version of the Green Goblin looked like, there's a few links on my profile page! **

**Thanks for reading this chapter, guys. Let me know what you think about my take on the Green Goblin! I'd love to know. As always, leave a review to help give me an understanding of what I should do in futures chapters and say how much you enjoyed reading the fanfic. It really helps me out a lot. Next chapter: Peter/Gwen fluff :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Motions**

Peter could feel his consciousness slowly ebbing away with each passing second. He released his grip from one biocable and shot another, gliding through the freezing skyline above New York as he tried to keep his heavy eyes open. Pain was filling almost every region of his body as he gasped in agony, no longer able to keep his eyes from closing.

Suddenly Spider-man fell from the sky, his limp body plummeting to the concrete jungle below. Peter couldn't feel anything for the longest time before finally his eyes opened again, his super-human instincts kicking in as he shot a web towards the tall building to his left. Peter crashed unceremoniously into the brick wall of the tower as he breathed sharp intakes of air into his lungs, clutching his burning abdominum.

The fight with the Green monster was quite easily one of Peter's most grueling and destructive things he's ever faced. He was almost outmatched by the grotesque Green nightmare as they fought with every ounce of strength they had in their bodies, devilish cackles emitting from the monster's wide goblinesque mouth.

Peter winced as he reminisced about the damage he had sustained while fending off the Goblin in the streets of New York, though he was satisfied that the Green abomination had failed to cause injury to any innocent civilians. Somehow Peter was able to knock the monster unconscious with pure fury and anger, screaming at the top of his lungs as he wailed clenched fists into the Goblin's oozing green bloodstained mouth.

Suddenly Peter pondered on the origin of such a monster, and why it had appeared to be targeting Harry specifically once the Goblin found it's way into the Osborn Manor. It was holding Harry's arm carelessly, the unconscious and injured body of the young Osborn teenager dangling lifelessly in the Green abomination's grasp. Peter winced sickeningly as he flashed his thoughts back to the horrendous fight between Spider-man and the Green menace, remembering what the Goblin had roared in the midst of their destructive climax; _Parker_.

Suddenly Peter's thoughts were abruptly returned to the present as he heard sirens blaring overheard. Shooting a glance above to the sky, he saw several police and news choppers scurrying to the scene as quickly as humanly possible. Peter shook his head, in turn clearing his mind of all distracting thoughts as he leaped wearily back into the cold night air, letting another sturdy web shoot from his wrist and attach to an overhead building.

His Spider-man suit was noticeably damaged, and Peter wasn't happy about this at all. He groaned as he quickly glanced his eyes across his torn suit; the spandex fabrics were ravaged and ripped, his mask and backside were charred and slightly burnt, and his signature yellow eye lenses were slightly cracked and worn. Peter let out a long, agitated sigh as he continued to swing painfully towards Gwen Stacy's apartment, which he estimated would only be a few minutes away.

Peter swung past Times Square as he flit his eyes towards the flashing neon signs and large LED screens which enveloped the heavily busy area. It appeared that live news reports on the Spider-man and Goblin battle were already making their way across the city, as footage of wreckage and the decimated streets in which Peter and the monster had fought in were already being shown to the public. Many people gasped and pointed towards the sky as they saw an injured red and blue clad hero swing past, no doubt looking bloodied and horribly injured.

Peter simply ignored the bystanders and continued making his way in the direction of Gwen's house, flying through the air cautiously so as not to open his wounds any further. Finally he could see the Stacy residence in the near distance, a nervous grin washing across his face in the process; this was the first time he had visited Gwen since the entire Lizard fiasco had taken place, and Peter was unsure of what he was going to say to his once lover.

In what what seemed to the be in the blink of an eye, he arrived at Gwen's fire escape but didn't dare move any closer towards her window. Peter tried to formulate some sort of explanation in his mind as to why he had arrived so suddenly at her house bruised and beaten, and then had explain why he had ignored her for the past few months all while expressing his love for the blonde beauty without sounding crazy.

A deep sigh erupted from Peter's lips as he thought furiously for another moment before being abruptly thrown back into reality at the sound of an opening window.

"Thank _god_ you're alright!" breathed the raspy, cracking voice of Gwen Stacy as she peered concernedly at Peter, who was still perched uncomfortably on her fire escape.

"Y-yeah - you heard about the, uh -" Peter tried to stutter between agonizing winces as he felt his wounds open further. Gwen's eyes bulged from their large sockets once she laid eyes upon Peter's injured body.

"Get in here, Bug Boy," she spoke nervously, throwing cautious glances at Peter as he attempted to make his way towards Gwen's open window.

It took Peter a minute or two before he finally found his way to the window, his eyes feeling heavier with each passing second. His mouth was still dripping profusely with sticky hot blood as he forced himself unceremoniously through the open window and into Gwen's room. He landed on her carpeted floor with an audible thud and he groaned in pain, screwing his face in agony from behind his mask.

"Oh God, oh God,_ oh God_," Gwen cursed under her breath as she frantically rushed out of the room and into the hall. Peter barely took any notice as another groan escaped his lips, hands now holding firmly against his burning abdominum. Peter's vision was slowly blurring as he waited for Gwen to return to the room.

Another minute passed before Gwen frantically raced through her door, slamming it shut as she laid her eyes upon the injured Peter Parker that was sprawled lifelessly across the carpet. She withdrew a handful of assorted medical supplies from her kit and dropped to the carpet beside Peter, noticing that the once clean floor was now soaking in a puddle of gory red blood. She shuddered and forced her attention back towards the injured Peter, who was still stuck inside his torn Spider-man suit.

"You are such an _idiot_, Peter Parker," Gwen's voice cracked as wet tears slid down her smooth creamy cheeks. Peter was still lying barely conscious in a pool of his own blood yet couldn't see a single thing through his blurred vision, and only heard fragments of the events unfolding around him.

Eventually he was enveloped in complete blackness, sinking into an endless abyss of silence and darkness. The last thing Peter Parker could remember seeing was a teary-eyed Gwen Stacy crying softly over his lifeless body.

**:::Bellevue Hospital Center:::**

At around the same time, Harry Osborn awoke from his unconscious slumber and gritted his teeth in pain. His eyes opened wearily as he surveyed the surroundings, still half asleep as he fought off the pounding pain in his skull. After a moment of uneasy silence Harry's vision cleared, though he almost wished it hadn't.

A monotonous chorus of rain pattered relentlessly against the windows and roof of the hospital as Harry laid incredulous eyes upon the large white cast which had enveloped his left arm.

"The fuc-" he began before being cut off by a large bearded man in a dirty white overcoat.

"You're awake, Mr. Osborn?" the doctor spoke quietly, eyeing Harry's body from top to bottom. Harry nervously swallowed a large pool of saliva and nodded wearily, head still pounding as if he had woken to an immense hangover. The large doctor studied a few files on a wooden clipboard before walking to the foot of Harry's hospital bed and placing the files onto a plain grey tray.

"W-w-where am I?" Harry's voice cracked as he spoke. Rain continued to pour relentlessly as thunder roared overheard, easily audible from within the hospital walls.

"Don't worry, there's no serious damage to your body. You'll be up and out of here within the week. My name is Doctor Church," the bearded man assured Harry softly, pacing across the room towards another white tray. Harry attempted to lift his head slightly and glance at the contents of the tray, though Doctor Church quickly cut off his line of sight as he stopped before the desk, back turned to the hospital bed.

Harry couldn't help but feel oddly suspicious about Church and decided to press further questions, but the Doctor cut him off before he could even have a chance to speak. "Do you remember any of the events which unfolded today before the accident?" Church asked nonchalantly.

"A-a-accident? The hell do you mean accident?!" Harry questioned harshly, his temper quickly rising. The Doctor continued to face away from the hospital bed as he fidgeted with whatever was lying on the white tray.

"The accident which you were involved in earlier this evening. Do you not remember the attack on your home, Mister Osborn?" Church spoke softly, still facing away from Harry.

"I-I - I have no idea - what - t-the - THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" Harry's voice cracked as it rose higher and higher, though the Doctor seemed in no way phased by the sudden surge of anger in Harry.

"Please quiet down, Mister Osborn. There are other patients within this hospital with much more severe injuries then yourself. In fact, you're quite lucky to have walked away from the accident with such minimal physical damage," Church spoke again, only confusing Harry even further.

"P-please, j-just - tell me what happened," Harry sighed in agitation, slumping his head backwards onto the hard hospital bed pillow as he felt hot tears filling his weary eyelids.

"All in due time, Mister Osborn. For now, you need to sleep," Doctor Church spoke so softly it could be classified as a whisper. The large man turned slowly, holding a large syringe filled with a strange substance Harry had never seen before. Harry's eyes bulged helplessly as the syringe was forced agonizingly deep into his injured left arm, causing a deafening howl of pain to escape the teenager's mouth. Suddenly, everything turned to black.

**:::Gwen Stacy's Room:::**

For the next painful hour, Peter Parker's eyes continued to open and subsequently close as he went in and out of conciseness. Gwen sobbed silently as she frantically attempted to clean Peter's wounds, but to little success. Blood was pouring profusely from each individual cut and bruise which littered his masculine body, and there was simply little to nothing Gwen could do with an almost entirely empty medical kit.

Tears continued to pour over Peter's lifeless body as Gwen Stacy simply waited, hoping beyond all things that he would made a quick and painless recovery. The silence and anxiousness of the situation was slowly ebbing away at her sanity as she laid on the carpet beside him, listening to the slow rhythm of Peter's breathing patterns.

Another half an hour passed before she finally felt Peter stir slightly beside her. Gwen quickly shot her face up and glanced at his now unmasked and bloodied face, which was nodding in the air subconsciously. A sigh of relief and happiness overcame Gwen as he watched Peter slowly open his bloodshot weary eyes.

"W-what 'appened?" he mumbled, slightly spitting blood onto his already damaged Spider-man suit as the red gore dripped down Peter's chin. Gwen shook her head violently as she threw her arms around him, pulling him into an enormous hug. Peter instantly snapped to his senses and blushed wildly, eyes shooting wide open.

"Woah, woah, woah," he said eventually, grasping Gwen's trembling shoulders and slowly pulling himself from her embrace, smiling brilliantly. "What was that about?"

"Y-y-you a-almost - you almost_ died_!" Gwen scoffed at Peter, who simply looked at her casually, shrugging his shoulders.

"Gwen, I wasn't gonna die. I'm Spider-man," he grinned widely at the now angry Gwen Stacy as he shook his head comically into the air.

"Are you joking?! You went head on into a battle with - with - w-with - t-that - _thing_!" she scoffed, crossing her arms, now staring at Peter's torn suit. "You never make up any plans before you throw yourself into these fights and you always come out seconds away from death and -"

Gwen Stacy was abruptly cut off as she felt Peter Parker's smooth lips press slowly against hers.

**I'd like to thank you all for such kind reviews! It really gives me the inspiration and emotional push that makes me continue updating this story. I have currently planned almost every aspect of the adventure and I can safely say that we have a long and complex journey ahead of us. As always, pleeassee leave a review on your thoughts about the fanfic. Coming up: more Harry, an angrier/dangerous Peter, and the upcoming plot will slowly be put into play. Stay tuned :) **


	8. Chapter 8

"_Someone who really loves you sees what a mess you can be, how moody you can get, how hard you are to handle, but still wants you in their life._"

**Chapter Eight: Promises**

Peter couldn't comprehend the thousands of mistakes he had suddenly made, but it didn't matter; she was all that mattered. Everything seemed to melt away at the touch of their lips; all of the anger, all of the unresolved questions, all of the words, all of the pain. Their eyes instantly fell shut as they drew closer, Gwen pushing her body against his ever so slightly.

She couldn't bear to be alone anymore. She needed him now more than ever, and nothing was going to get in the way of their blissful, unending love. Her hands pressed slightly into his shoulders as she dug into his masculine skin, forcing herself closer. A soft moan emitted from Peter's lips as his eyes widened.

Gwen knew this look all too clearly; Peter was going to push himself away, a stunned or upset expression washing over his face at what he had just done as he mumbled an apology and left without another word. He wouldn't return for hours, days, maybe even months. He wouldn't respond to her calls or texts and would keep himself at a considerable distance from Gwen at all times during school. It was all so painfully familiar to Gwen, the thought of it making her heart instantly sink as she prepared to be hurt once again by Peter Parker, his lips slowly pulling away from hers already.

"I've been waiting so long to do that again," he mumbled a barely audible whisper under breath, a goofy smirk appearing over his wet lips. In an instant, Gwen pushed her lips into his with a fiery passion, Peter looking shocked for a split second before simultaneously pushing himself closer frantically.

She bit his bottom lip, running her hands down his bare chest as Peter placed his fingers over Gwen's smooth creamy cheeks, lifting a single strand of gold lock from out of her eyes. They removed their lips slowly and stayed like that for what felt like eternity, taking in every single feature of one another's faces as their bodies rested together on the carpet floor.

Peter's wounds had already healed considerably, the once profusively bleeding cuts and gashes across his chest and face already showing signs of disappearing entirely. Peaceful silence filled the room as Peter stared into Gwen's brilliant green irises, completely dumbfounded at how perfect she looked even now, with stains of his dry blood smeared slightly against her face.

"Sorry about that," he whispered into her ears with a goofy grin, licking his finger as he attempted to wipe off the crusty red blood from her creamy cheeks. Gwen smirked, her eyes still locked completely with Peter's, her face burning hot and her stomach tightening into a knot.

"Don't worry about it, bug boy," she whispered, finally bringing herself closer to Peter as he enveloped his arms around her. They sat on the floor, intertwined in each other's limbs as Gwen rested her head on Peter's shoulders, breathing lightly. Peter couldn't believe what was transpiring; he was currently holding the love of his life in his arms, simultaneously breaking the promise of George Stacy, her father, at the same time.

But Peter knew he couldn't stay away from Gwen any longer; he knew the indescribable pain and anguish he had put her through in the past months. He knew that he had broken something inside of Gwen on the night of Captain Stacy's funeral. He knew he had further hurt her by ignoring her completely at school. He even knew that she was slowly crumbling to pieces without him. But, Peter could relate to every single one of these selfish thoughts, because he felt the exact same way.

He was quickly falling into an abyss of regret and torment, endlessly thinking about Gwen every second of the day. He wondered countless times if he should just walk up to her and apologize, but he knew that option was implausible. Instead Peter kept his distance, trying with every ounce of willpower he had left in his body to push Gwen from his mind, but with little to no success.

He simply couldn't forget about this brilliant blonde girl who was now lying peacefully in his arms, no matter how hard he tried. The last few months have quite easily been the worst of each of their lives, but now the memories and pain were quickly washing away into history; they were together again, and nobody was going to change that anytime soon.

Another ten minutes passed before Gwen finally broke the blissful silence, her voice soft and happy and alluring and curious all at the same time. "P-Peter - does - does this m-mean -?" she tried to whisper into his ear, but Peter's warm kiss instantly made Gwen forget anything which was previously buzzing in her excited head.

"Yeah, Gwen - it does," Peter spoke in a whisper once their lips finally pried apart, a toothy grin completely covering his face. Gwen smiled brilliantly once more as she nuzzled back into Peter's neck, causing the him to moan softly into the warm air.

It was almost surreal; one day Peter Parker was pretending that Gwen Stacy had been wiped from the face of the Earth, and the next he found himself inside her bedroom after months of painful separation, cuddling and rekindling the love he had sought to dissipate.

Another few moments of perfect silence enveloped the two lovers before suddenly the faint sound of shuffling footsteps caught Peter's attention. He instinctively shot his head towards the clock perched on Gwen's desk; the time read _Ten-Seventeen._

"Gwen?" he whispered softly into her ears, still not daring to remove his arms from her warm body.

"Hmm?" she hummed softly through a closed mouth, raising her head only slightly as she stared into Peter's eyes with her brilliant green irises.

"I gotta go," Peter spoke reluctantly, quickly falling into the endless ocean that were Gwen Stacy's two green unblinking eyes.

"You sure, bug boy?" she pouted disappointingly, causing a faint smile to appear over Peter's wet lips.

"I have to," Peter trailed off as he planted another kiss on Gwen's warm lips, savoring each and every second of pure bliss before finally prying himself away. He slowly raised to his feet, his torso still aching slightly from the fight with the Goblin, though nothing Peter hasn't dealt with before.

"I'll see you at school," he whispered to Gwen from across the room as he perched on her fire escape once again, now completely wearing his damaged red and blue clad spandex suit. He pulled the mask over his messy matted brown hair and past his neck, now fully donning the mantle of New York's mysterious hero.

"Be careful," Gwen spoke softly, still longing for Peter's safety every second of the day.

"I will. I promise," Peter's voice was slightly muffled through the mask as he turned completely towards the bustling city, ready to swing back into the world outside. Gwen watched silently as Peter leaped into the freezing night air of New York's skyline, now completely disappearing from sight.

Something rang through her head once she knew Peter had gone; something ironic. While one promise had been broken tonight, another had been made, and Gwen wondered if this was yet another promise that was Peter was going to inevitably brake.

"_I will. I promise_"

**Guys, thanks for all your reviews! I love hearing from you all, it really helps me out when I write. The next Chapter will be up soon, so watch for that. Unexpected plot twist coming up :) I'm also wanting to hear your guy's suggestions for side plots you want to see put into the fanfic. I have already planned the entire main plot, and I'm really excited about writing it for you. But I'm also interested in hearing any ideas or suggestions for me to implement into the story. Please leave a review on your thoughts. Thanks guys Stay tuned, love you all.**


	9. Chapter 9

'_Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together._'

**Chapter Nine: Questions**

Peter could see the Parker residence in the distance as he swung over Queens with audacity. Something was buzzing inside of his aching head; something wonderful. Gwen Stacy was now his again. _Gwen Stacy was now his again_. The mere thought sent shivers up Peter's spine and caused his stomach to clench into an even tighter knot. A large toothy grin formed from behind his damaged Spider-man mask as he landed silently onto the streets below, only metres from his bedroom window.

After another peaceful moment of gazing absentmindedly into space, his mind lost in deep thought about one Gwen Stacy in particular, Peter snapped to his senses and leaped onto the bedroom window without making so much as a sound. His body was still mildly sore from the battle with the Green Goblin, but Peter took almost no notice to his injuries; his mind was set on memories of Gwen.

He reminisced about their painful year together, and admittedly a large pang of guilt swept across Peter at the thought of Captain Stacy. He had broken the promise of a dying man, practically spitting on the face of his grave as he rekindled his love with Gwen. Peter groaned inwardly as he began tearing the red and blue Spider-man suit from his aching body, gasping in sharp intakes of air every so often from the sudden spikes of pain in his body.

Eventually Peter managed to peel the entire suit from his skin as he left it mangled and untidy, hidden in his already messy closet. Heavy purple bags had formed beneath Peter's eyes as a large yawn silently escaped his lips. The poor teenager was beyond tired, and the thought of seeing Gwen again at school tomorrow was yet another reason as to why sleeping would be a good idea. But instead Peter went to pull his phone from his bag to see if anyone had called or messaged him during his adventure as New York's hero, until a realization hit him like a brick wall.

'Shit.'

Peter had left his black bag on the roof of some random building only a few blocks away from Osborn Manor. His skateboard, schoolbooks, phone, camera and spare biocable cartridges were all present inside the bag, but there was no way Peter could return to the building at this hour to retrieve his items.

Suddenly an influx of worrying thoughts clouded Peter's mind; what if the police had found the bag and scanned through his contents, determining that Peter was in fact Spider-man? What if it was found by one of Peter's enemies, thus leaving his family and loved ones vulnerable?

He paced the messy room anxiously, rubbing the nape of his neck and flitting his eyes worryingly outside of the window every few seconds. Honestly, it was too late to fix this problem, and the only thing Peter could do now was wait until morning and swing back to the building on his way to school.

This plan seemed to ease Peter's nerves slightly as he found himself calming down, now slumping on his horribly untidy bed with an exhausted sigh escaping his wet lips. Tonight has undoubtedly been a hectic night; Peter had fought a new and powerful villain in a grueling city brawl, he had found his way back into Gwen Stacy's heart, and now he had left incriminating evidence in plain view of the police. Peter certainly deserved some well needed rest.

Although his mind was still buzzing frantically with worrying and unrelenting thoughts, Peter lowered his head slowly onto the white pillow and was out cold in a matter of seconds. He felt his consciousness ebbing away, and his thoughts, as clear and concise as they were moments ago, were coming to an end.

**Several hours later...**

Peter awoke the next morning to the sound of an agitated old woman pounding against his automated locked door.

"Peter, sweetie, I know you're in there! You'll be late, for God sake's!" she yelled, slamming her palms firmly against Peter's door before turning away hurriedly, presumably to return to her cooking. At first, the young Peter thought he had simply dreamt the entire ordeal, so he lazily slumped his heavy head back into the pillow and closed his weary eyes once more.

Suddenly, the memories of the previous night flooded into his mind all at once, causing Peter to instantly shoot his eyes open and practically leap out of bed. Without wasting another second of precious time, he threw on an assortment of random clothes consisting of a pair of jeans, a navy blue t-shirt and a dark grey and black hoodie.

Peter turned and ran out of his room, somehow leaving it messier than it had been the night before, as he rocketed downstairs and flew towards the door at impossible speeds. He was only centimeters from the handle before the booming voice of his aunt caused him to skid to a halt immediately.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked incredulously, eyeing her nephew's rather grimy appearance. It suddenly occurred to Peter that he had not showered in the past few days, and without a doubt looked like an absolute hobo.

"I-I-I'm - I'm going to - to school," Peter managed to blurt out as he bobbed on the tips of his heels anxiously, feeling as if what little time he had to retrieve his bag before his first class started was wasting.

"You haven't had your breakfast," May gestured concernedly towards a plate on the kitchen table. Peter inwardly groaned as raced to the table, practically throwing the content's of the plate into his mouth in one quick movement.

May gaped at him with wide eyes, in return earning a cheeky grin from Peter as he once again turned to leave for school. He shut the wooden door on his way out and started to run, putting distance between himself and the house, before leaping into the air and sticking to the wall of a nearby residence.

He made his way silently to the roof, taking in the fresh air and clear pink skies of the early morning before shooting a biocable from his wrist and leaping into the sky once more. The biocable attached to a taller building, thus giving Peter the momentum he needed to launch himself higher towards the clouds.

It would take Peter roughly twenty minutes to find his way back to the building where his bag was, hopefully, still residing, meaning that he would only miss the first few minutes of whatever class he should have been attending.

Slowly, Peter reeled his mind to another pressing matter; the Spider-man suit. It was obvious that the suit needed a complete revamp, or maybe Peter needed an entirely new suit altogether. But, of course, this would take time to make, and time was something Peter didn't have; he needed to find and stop the Green Goblin for good before it hurt any innocent civilians.

He thought that Gwen could possibly help with the making of a new Spider-man suit, and Peter made a mental note to ask later today once he was back in Midtown High.

As he swung through New York's skyline, now almost halfway towards the building where the bag should still remain untouched, Peter began to think about Gwen again. He simply couldn't help it anymore; she had completely taken over his mind in every way imaginable.

Peter imagined Gwen's amazing smile, her brilliant green irises, her sarcastic but perfect attitude, her indescribable curvaceous figure, and everything in between. She was anything and everything Peter needed in his life, for better or for worse, and he was going to protect her from anything or anyone that poses a threat, no matter the cost or consequence.

Peter Parker simply couldn't live without Gwen Stacy, and that was the unquestionable, undoubted, outright, unequivocal truth. If anything were to happen to Gwen or her family, Peter would be nothing but a shattered shell of a man. He needed her to live. She was now part of his blood, body, heart and soul, and nothing will ever change that.

Peter suddenly released a long, deep sigh from his dry lips. He knew that the life of Spider-man was an unarguably dangerous one, and that Gwen had to stay out of it all all costs, but it really wasn't Peter's decision to make; it was Gwen's. No matter how hard Peter tried, Gwen would always bounce back to his aid, no matter the consequences. She knew that if she could help Peter in any way, she would undoubtedly jump to his side and help however she could.

It was a quality that he really loved about Gwen, but it was also something he wished didn't exist within her. Gwen's courageousness and bold attitude against Peter's villains will only bring her into danger's spotlight quicker, which is something that Peter needed to avoid at all costs.

Before his obsessive thoughts further clouded his buzzing mind, Peter suddenly spotted the building where his bag was last seen. Only a block or two away was the now decimated Osborn Manor, which is currently roped off and under heavy police investigation.

As Peter swung determinedly towards the building, managing to flip and maneuver himself into the air with grace and style, he pulled his hoodie over his brown matted hair and stuck his head down, in case any police officers or unhappy civilians spotted a casually dressed man swinging past the crime scene.

Suddenly Peter saw it; the black bag which was still in the exact same place he had left it the previous night, only minutes before ensuing in the horrendous battle with the grotesque Goblin. Peter released his grip from a biocable and landed with ease only feet away from the bag, rushing over to it at inhuman speeds.

Peter flit his eyes cautiously around the bag, inspecting for any signs of disturbance or traces of missing items. His heart suddenly eased back to it's soothing beat pattern as Peter exhaled a sigh of relief, knowing that miraculously the bag had remained untouched overnight.

He stooped onto a knee and opened the bag, just to further solidify the fact that nobody had found it over the previous night, until something made Peter's heart drop in an instant; his spare cartridges were missing.

A wave of horror washed over Peter's entire body as he stared disbelievingly into the bag. _Surely he had put the cartridges in another section_? Peter anxiously opened every zip to every part of the black bag, his heart pounding sickeningly in his throat as he came to the irrevocable truth; somebody had indeed found Peter's web cartridges and now knew the identity of Spider-man.

Peter began to hyperventilate, coughing and wheezing as he tried to get more oxygen into his body. His lungs were on fire. Peter knelt on all fours, spluttering and wheezing into the ground as angry tears filled his eyes. _How could he have been so stupid_?

Everyone he loved was now in danger, and there was nothing Peter could do to stop it. He had no idea who the intruder of his bag was and had no possible way of finding out; _he was in New York for Christ's sake_.

But then suddenly, unanticipatedly, miraculously, something came to Peter's attention; a white note was attached to the back of the black bag.

Peter slowly turned the bag around, the note now facing his direction as he unpinned it cautiously, glancing over the written message as his eyes continued to fill with angry and helpless tears.

_Hey big boy, I'd lovvvveeee to know if you're actually the real deal. Meet me back here tonight. 8pm sharp. If you don't, I'll track down your family. If you do, we can... chat. _

_Don't disappoint me. Pweeseee._

The note was filled with an abundant amount of poorly drawn pink love-hearts and a large lipstick mark which substituted as the signature. Peter eyed the note incredulously, millions of questions forming in his head as he continued to read the note again and again.

Suddenly a realization hit Peter like a brick wall; he would have to comply to the strange request, or else his friends and family will come under the line of fire. Peter's fists were trembling with anger and rage, but something about this entire ordeal seemed somewhat... surreal.

Maybe there was nothing to be worried about? Maybe it was simply a bluff and Peter shouldn't even bother to show up? _Maybe._

Peter sat in silence for a moment, thinking furiously over his options. Eventually he came a conclusion; he would comply to the request and meet back here at eight o'clock tonight. It was seemingly the safest route to take, and admittedly Peter was bewildered and somewhat curious at how the outcome would play out.

But, above all, one thing was for sure; this was another name to add to the list of people who knew his secret identity as Spider-man.

**Author's Note: Computer died while writing this chapter. It was meant to be much bigger, but oh well. I was too tired to re-write everything all at once. Continued in the next one. Thanks guys.**

**Here's chapter 9. Please review and tell me if you guys liked it. Remember to follow and favorite if you've enjoyed the story so far :) Btw guys, thanks for all the reviews I've been getting, it really means a lot to me. Next chapter will be up soon. The plot is about to get blown up all over Peter/Gwen, so stay tuned for that. Love yous. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: Cat**

Peter returned to Midtown High only twenty minutes later, just seconds too late before the bell rang for students to make their way to the next class. He groaned inwardly as he skated through the halls on his board, absentmindedly weaving in between other students as his mind wandered to other pressing matters.

For starters, the entire ordeal with the note was still buzzing frantically in Peter's head. There was no doubt that he would have to make his way back to the building later tonight, but the situation was completely unlike Peter has ever come across. What if this strange note was some sick prank? What if it was a trap which Peter would unknowingly throw himself into?

Curious thoughts continued to seep into Peter's already clouded mind as he made his way to his locker, his spider-like senses still creating a path in which Peter followed without even bothering to look up, until suddenly the familiar voice of one of his fellow students boomed only a few feet away.

Suddenly a pair of large, bulky arms wrapped around Peter's neck as he felt his brown matted hair being ruffled furiously. "Parker!" Flash called with a smirk, still rubbing Peter's head playfully with whitening knuckles.

"Hey – uh- Flash," Peter faked a chuckle, eventually managing to pry the masculine arms from his aching neck.

"We're doing a round of basketball at lunch. I'm seeing you there, right Parker?" Flash spoke in a mock intimidating voice, nudging Peter's shoulders lightly.

"I-I – yeah, man, why not?" Peter spoke, still nodding his head comically into the air while simultaneously attempting to fix his abominable matted hair.

"Good man," Flash put a thumbs up, now walking down the hall, presumably to his next class.

Peter managed to smile genuinely as a real chuckle escaped his dry lips. It was almost surreal as to how much both of the young men had changed in such a short amount of time. Over the past few months, Peter and Eugene's friendship had grown drastically, and on some occasions Peter had even joined in with their lunchtime sporting antics, showing off his developed skills as he won almost every game.

Peter simply couldn't believe the man Flash was shaping into, and admittedly he was thankful for the sudden change in emotions. After anther silent moment of being lost in deep thought about the past year, Peter suddenly snapped to his senses, realizing that he would once again be late for the next class unless he really started to move.

He entered the locker combination and it clicked in succession as Peter swung the metallic door open, grabbing a random assortment of books and throwing them carelessly into his black bag. After a quick glance at the timetable for today, he noted that Cinematography was next on the agenda. Slamming his locker shut with a little more force than necessary, Peter began sprinting down the now deserted corridor of lockers and classrooms until suddenly skidding to a halt outside of the filled Cinematography class.

He tiredly approached the only empty desk in the room and slumped into the chair, letting his bag drop carelessly to the floor. Peter's teacher glared at the skateboard attached to his bag menacingly as she cleared her throat, addressing that the time for chit-chat and gossip was over to the other students.

Peter, more or less, payed no attention whatsoever for the entirety of the class; his mind continued to wander to the mysterious white note almost automatically. No matter how hard he tried, the note seemed to cloud Peter's mind like a degenerative disease, showing no signs of stopping until the entire ordeal was properly resolved.

A helpless feeling knotted in Peter's aching stomach as he stared absentmindedly to the mundane clock which hung lopsidedly on the classroom wall. It would be another nine painful hours before Peter would finally return to the rooftop, ready to face whatever threats stood in his way. No matter what may come, Peter was going to keep his family and loved ones safe, vowing that anyone who threatened their well-being was going to suffer the wrath of the Amazing Spider-man.

Another half an hour of inaudible lecturing from Peter's teacher passed before the school bell rang once more. Peter huffed a breath of air through pursed lips as he collected his bag and stood to his feet, which had since fallen asleep due to the lack of movement and rigid positioning caused by sitting on the uncomfortable classroom seats.

Peter dropped his head, brown eyes now staring absentmindedly to the dirty classroom floor as he paced towards the doorway, not bothering to say a friendly farewell to his teacher as he left; Peter's mind was still reeling relentlessly. The school corridor was once again bustling with life as Peter weaved in and out of various students, hoping to make his way to Art class without any further commotions until he was suddenly enveloped by a pair of warm, embracing arms.

He glanced downwards incredulously, momentarily freeing himself from the trance only to see that none other than Gwen Stacy was looking back into Peter's brown doe eyes, a brilliant but cheeky smile appearing over her lips.

"You missed Biology," she said happily, causing a faint chuckle to escape Peter's dry lips.

"Y-yeah, I – I, um – was busy," Peter smiled, their warm faces only inches away from each other.

"I almost died in Biology, Peter," Gwen spoke in a mock exasperated mock voice, her wonderful green irises still staring contently into Peter's widened eyes.

"Oh, yeah – the great Gwen Stacy almost died in a class?" Peter chuckled, shaking his head comically into the air.

"The great Gwen Stacy almost died in a class," Gwen conceded, planting a passionate kiss on Peter's cheek.

"Woah, Gwen – we're in school," Peter spoke in a hushed, mocking voice as he placed his lips to Gwen's without thinking. The couple stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, lost in their undying love and wrapped in one another's arms before being abruptly called out by one Flash Thompson, who made no effort of being subtle whatsoever.

"Could you guys cut it out? You're making me uncomfortable here," Flash joked, his playful voice booming off the corridor walls. In no time at all, Peter and Gwen relinquished themselves from each other's embrace as they stared awkwardly to the floor, Peter rubbing the nape of his neck and Gwen itching her nose softly.

"W-well - I better – you know – get going to class," Gwen broke the awkward silence a moment later, planting a final kiss on the cheek of Peter Parker as she turned to leave to her class, clutching schoolbooks firmly to her amble chest.

Peter grinned and continued to nod his head absentmindedly into air as he watched Gwen Stacy disappear around a corner. He then turned and proceeded to skip happily on two wobbly feet towards the Art class which he was undoubtedly late for – again.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, Peter's spirits began to soar once more. He was no longer thinking about the white note every second of the day, but was now imagining Gwen in his arms for the remainder of his dull Art class. It was something about the brilliant blonde beauty that always managed to make Peter smile, and the words _Gwen Stacy is mine again_ continued to bounce in and out of Peter's mind relentlessly.

The feeling was infectious; it was quickly enveloping him, in turn actually helping Peter to enjoy the rest of the Art class as he shaded a poorly drawn picture of a flower surrounded by a lush meadow. Peter's tongue was slightly protruding from his mouth and his eyes glared unblinkingly onto the sheet of paper as he drew with every ounce of concentration he could muster; that was, until, somebody knocked Peter's shoulder abruptly and sent the lead pencil flying firmly down the drawing.

"Oh shit, I'm really sorry man," a concerned voice rang into Peter's ears. Peter groaned loudly and dropped his head carelessly against the desk; his drawing was completely and irrevocably ruined.

"I – I'm really sorry," the voice spoke again. Peter raised his head slowly and set weary eyes upon a fellow student whom he had never seen before.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," Peter mumbled, still staring confusingly at the new classmate. "Hey, uh – are you new here or something?"

"Oh – oh, yeah. I'm Luke," he outstretched a hand cautiously towards Peter, who in turn shook it curiously.

"Where are you from?" Peter asked, returning his gaze to the now ruined drawing he had tirelessly been hoping to finish. A slight wave of anger washed throughout Peter's body, realizing that he would inevitably have to recreate the picture entirely from scratch.

"Philadelphia," Luke spoke with a slight hint of remorse in his voice, though he quickly brandished a fake smile and pulled a chair up next to Peter's desk. "I'm actually so sorry about this," he gestured towards Peter's ruined portrait once again.

"Hey man, don't worry about it," Peter tried to sound somewhat neutral as he hid the anger from his tone, still avoiding Luke's eyes as he glared towards the worthless picture.

"Do you ride that thing?" Luke asked concernedly, causing Peter's eyes to shoot up. The new student was staring at the skateboard attached to Peter's bag, his facial expression bewildering and somewhat nervous.

"Uh – yeah?" Peter stared curiously at Luke, wondering why he looked so concerned.

"Do you think you could maybe – you know – if you wanted to – or, like – if you want..." Luke trailed off before he could finish his own sentence. A faint smile formed over Peter's lips as he reminisced back to a few months ago, remembering how nervous he was while trying to ask Gwen Stacy out on a date.

"You're not trying to hit me up on a date, are you bud?" Peter joked, hoping to help get the words out of Luke quicker.

Upon hearing Peter's joke, Luke suddenly seemed to ease up slightly and let a small chuckle escape his lips. "N-no, sorry. I'm just – not the best at talking to new people," he spoke in a small voice, still gazing at Peter's skateboard nervously.

Peter suddenly thought of a younger version of himself; he too had trouble speaking to other classmates, or really anyone who wasn't his own aunt or uncle. "I'm your friend, Luke. Tell me what's up," Peter spoke casually, shooting his eyes across the classroom to find a fresh sheet of paper.

"I was just wondering – you know – if you could help teach me some skating tips," Luke asked in an even smaller, sheepish voice, now eyeing Peter nervously. "If you wanted to," he added rather quickly.

Another moment of silence passed, in which Peter continued to flit his eyes at impossible speeds around the classroom for a new piece of paper before finally returning his attention back to Luke, who was noticeably twiddling his fingers anxiously.

"Uh, yeah – yeah, sure thing man," Peter nodded crazily into the air. A wave of excitement seemed to quickly flourish over Luke's face as a brilliant, toothy smile erupted from his lips.

"Thanks so much, uh – what was your name again?" he asked excitedly, still bearing a smile that reached from one ear to another.

"I'm Peter. Peter Parker." A genuine chuckle escaped Peter's lips; this kid seemed so happy over something as insignificant as _skateboarding lessons_. The rest of the art lesson continued with Peter recreating his flower portrait, though with little success at replicating it to his liking, as Luke continued to blare "thank you's" and "you're a great friend" repeatedly and relentlessly into Peter's ears.

They parted ways once the bell rang into the halls as Peter made his way to Gwen's locker, knowing undoubtedly that she would be looking over her agenda or schoolbooks for another five minutes before finally making her way out to lunch.

As he predicted, Peter laid eyes over Gwen Stacy, a girl whose beauty simply couldn't be put into words. His heart seemingly skipped a beat or two as he continued to pace in her direction, eyes fixated on her curvaceous figure as he drew closer.

Gwen slowly closed her metallic door after storing an abundant amount of textbooks into her locker as she caught a glimpse of Peter Parker, who was now only feet away.

"Hey, bug boy," she chimed, her brilliant irises lighting up like fireworks as Peter drew closer. There was arguably nothing more perfect in the world to Peter than Gwen; she was undoubtedly the one thing that made his life worth living, no matter what hardships came between them. She was his blinding light in the darkness. She was the oxygen to his lungs. She was the blood in his heart. She was everything.

"Hey," he smiled, finally coming to a halt beside her as Gwen turned to face him. She interlocked her fingers with his and they paced comfortably out of the deserted corridor and into the yard. Eventually finding a spot on the school bleachers away from the majority of the students, they took a seat and wrapped one another a warm, loving hug.

After a moment of blissful silence, the two lovers holding each other in embracing arms, Gwen spoke in her wonderful husky voice, "So… Green Goblin?" She turned her head slightly and stared into Peter's widened eyes, a smirk forming across her face.

"Y-yeah – yeah. Some sort of freak accident or something that decided to blow up Osborn Manor. It was lucky I was around, otherwise that thing would've done some serious damage to the city." Peter reminisced over the grueling battle with the Green monster which caused an entire city street to be completely decimated.

Gwen's eyes scanned Peter's body furiously, obviously trying to determine if he was still significantly injured from the previous night, though she found nothing to be concerned over. "You knocked it out right? The Goblin thing?"

Peter nodded his head abundantly in the air, now staring absentmindedly towards the football field with his mind once again lost in deep thought. "It was – it was something else, Gwen," he whispered. "It was barely human."

"You're not – you're not going to go after it, right Peter?" she asked concernedly, although she already knew the answer before it had slivered out of Peter's dry lips.

"I have to, Gwen. It's gonna hurt innocent people if I don't stop it," Peter tore his eyes away from the football field and gazed at Gwen's indescribably beautiful features. "I'm the only one in the city who has the power to do anything. It's my job."

"No, Peter, it's not your job," her eyes were suddenly filling with wet tears as she rubbed her little nose anxiously. Peter couldn't help but smile faintly at the sight of her.

"Gwen. I love you. I really do. But I need to stop the Goblin if it ever decides to show its horrible face again," Peter chuckled, tightening his embrace around Gwen as she quietly laid her head on his broad shoulders.

"I worry about you, Peter."

"I know, Gwen," he replied, planting a soft kiss on her forehead as they sat motionless in each other's warm, tender embrace for the remainder of the lunch break; Peter's eyes didn't leave her for a single moment.

**Hours Later...**

A red and blue clad spandex hero swung through New York's clear skyline at impossible speeds, flying high above the bustling streets below with his mind set determinedly on the path ahead of him. Peter shot and attached a biocable to a neighbouring tower as he flung higher into the sky, feeling adrenaline rush profusely through his veins.

It was nearing eight o'clock, and Peter was only a few short minutes away from returning to the abandoned building's rooftop. His Spider-man suit was still horribly deformed; scorch marks from the Green Goblin's fire riddled the spandex, large sections of the red and blue fabric had been torn and ripped, and Peter's eye lenses were cracked horribly.

He had asked Gwen if she could help with designing the new suit after school tomorrow, and much to Peter's pleasure she had happily obliged. Gwen even offered to shop around for extra materials that could possibly be better suited for the new design, and Peter would be lying if he said that he wasn't excited.

Finally, the building in question came into view. Peter furrowed his eyebrows and prepared for whatever could come flying his way, be it an ambush, trap or anything in between. He released his grip from a biocable and plummeted downwards, feeling the wind flutter harshly against his suit as Peter pencil dived towards the rooftop.

As he drew closer to the concrete, Peter spun around in mid-air, now falling feet-first from the sky. Eventually he landed with ease on the rooftop, quickly darting his alert eyes around the vicinity, scanning for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing suspicious came into Peter's view, although something definitely took him by complete surprise; a picnic had been set out on the edge of the roof, surrounded by flickering candles and a bucket filled to the brim with cold ice and champagne.

"What the hell-," Peter began, before being abruptly cut off by a sly, seductive female voice.

"So… Peter Parker is the real deal?"

Standing before Peter was a woman wearing highly suggestive black clad latex suit which enveloped almost every aspect of her curvaceous body, side from her neck and abundant cleavage. Gleaming white hair billowed seamlessly in the wind, momentarily catching Peter in a trance. Military grade night-vision goggles were perched comfortably atop her head, currently acting as some sort of headband, as she smiled seductively at the red and blue vigilante.

"N-n-no – Peter s-sent – sent me," he managed to spluttered as he shot his gaze anywhere besides the woman standing before him.

"Oh? Is that so? You're friends with Peter, then?" she winked, brushing a hand softly against Peter's shoulders as she paced towards the picnic blanket and gestured for him to follow. Sighing inwardly, Peter cautiously turned and made his way to the blanket which sprawled across the dirty rooftop, held down by several shining platters of fancy foods and champagne buckets.

"Don't worry, little spider," she hummed, already pouring alcohol into a spotless wine glass, "I'll make sure to keep your secret – well – a secret, but first you got to help me out with a little itch that's been bugging me."

"Did you seriously just say bugging to Spider-man?" Peter quipped, still remaining highly alert in case the strange woman decided to pull any funny tricks.

"Slip of the tongue," she mused, offering the glass of champagne to Peter, who shook his head violently in return.

"Listen – uh – lady, I'm not here to make friendly with you. You said something about an itch you wanted me to take care of?" Peter asked nervously, his heart slowly hammering away at his chest.

The woman's eyes suddenly widened as a large, playful smirk formed across her lips. "Well, Spidey, I figured you'd be just as interested in this situation as I am," she ran her gloved fingers along the rim of the wine glass in a suggestive manner, once again making Peter glance away awkwardly.

"Why do you say that?" he tried to speak confidently, although failed miserably as his voice cracked more than once while speaking.

"You remember the hostage situation only a few nights ago, correct? The nuke you decided to throw into the river, such and such?" she spoke in between sips of champagne. This suddenly caught Peter's full attention.

"What about it?" he spoke anxiously, remembering the events of that night in vivid detail.

"Well, Spider, I just so happen to know who was behind the entire crime. And there's no doubt he'll attack again sooner or later," she sipped more alcohol, now smirking at Peter suggestively.

"Go on," Peter ushered her to continue; his heart was now pounding sickeningly in his throat.

"I'm prepared to make a deal, Spider-man," she smiled, standing to her feet and dismissing the glass of champagne into the air. Peter watched as it flew dozens of stories to the streets below. "I promise to make sure your identity stays out of the papers, if, and only if, you aid me in discovering the whereabouts of the hostage bomber."

This all seemed so laughable; Peter would have undoubtedly helped find the criminal involved in the nuke situation within a heartbeat, and now he supposedly had a solid lead thanks to this mysterious latex-clad woman. And as an extra bonus, she would promise to keep Peter's identity a secret; the choice practically made itself.

"Where do we start?" Peter asked anxiously, ready to finally take action against the dangerous criminal who had murdered six innocent civilians.

It took the woman a few moments to answer, a large, seductive grin suddenly spread across her face. "You're gonna break into Oscorp with me. We're stealing their hard drive files; it'll show us the next step in order to take this hostage bomber out."

Peter stared at her incredulously, not exactly believing what was seeping into his eardrums. A few moments of silence passed before the woman spoke again. "C'mon. Follow me. I know a good entrance," she whispered before leaping off the roof.

**Hated Chapter 9. You guys probably did too. Ew. Just thinking about it makes me wince in utter disgust. I had written it at 2am and had no idea what I was thinking when I published it. Sorry guys. Hopefully this chapter will get things back on track. R/R and follow pleaasssee. Love you guys.**


	11. Chapter 11

_Guys, I'm really sorry for the delay in content. School has recently started, my girlfriend is needy, yadda yadda yadda. I promise the story will return to a reasonable, consistent flow as the month progresses. Thanks for the reviews and follows, I really love hearing from you guys. _

BTW,_ some notes before we begin:_

_Please review on like every chapter possible; I need to know what you guys thought and/or if I need to work on any particular parts with my writing or character development, etc. Also please follow if you enjoyed and want more :)_

_I have plans to introduce several new characters as the story continues, starting from this one. Also, this fanfic is heavily romance orientated, but action scenes will be scattered quite frequently all around. _

_Gwen will NOT be killed off... _

_Peter may or may not be getting into some serious shit as we continue..._

_And that's about it for now :) So w__ithout further ado, let's pick up where I left off... in..._

**Chapter Eleven: Revelations**

What on earth was happening? Why was Peter Parker, a now iconic, heroic symbol of justice and protection which shone above New York City, now accomplice to a crazy leather-clad burglar who somewhat resembled a cat? And furthermore, who was this cat burglar anyways? She seemingly appeared out of nowhere, surprising even Peter himself; it was something you would rarely see on a daily basis, even for the Spectacular Spider-Man.

Endless questions raced relentlessly through Peter's mind as he flung into the chilly, silent skyline, his still damaged vigilante suit rippling furiously against the harsh winds as he elevated higher and higher into the air, still following the lead of the Cat. About five minutes of awkward silence passed before either of them spoke again, Peter finally deciding on what to say after a few moments of curious uncertainty.

"So, what's your name?" he asked unsurely, still trying hopefully to mask his voice into a deeper, manlier tone, though it was practically futile.

"You can put away the dark, brooding hero act. I know perfectly well who you are and I suggest you keep your eyes on the prize ahead of us if you want to keep that little identity of yours a secret. How's that sound, hmm?" she spoke slyly, leaping across various neighbouring skyscraper rooftops towards the unmissable Oscorp Tower which stood menacingly in the distance.

"Well, yeah - but what do I yell out when we get caught in Oscorp? Kitty? Kit-Kat?"

"I assure you that we will _not_ be discovered in Oscorp. I've been studying it's interior for a long ass time. You could say I basically know it _inside and out_," she spoke softly, shooting a quick smirk at Peter who turned away instantly, reverting his attention back to the city ahead of him.

"You didn't answering my question, kitty cat," Peter retorted as they neared closer towards the Tower.

"Well, yes - that's another matter I've taken a great deal of time to work on," she spoke almost to herself, obviously lost in deep thought. Eventually she turned her head back towards Peter and spoke again in a low, serious tone, "The Black Cat."

"It fits," Peter admitted, suddenly realizing that the odd pair were now only a few hundred meters from Oscorp.

"Follow me," Cat called to Peter as she leaped from the building rooftop and plummeted towards the concrete jungle below. Peter couldn't help but stare in awe at the absurdity of the situation; seriously, what the heck was going on?

Why was he putting his trust in this cat lady? What if she was some kind of serial murderer who stole and took advantage of the innocent?

Eventually the Black Cat disappeared completely from sight, leaving Peter alone in the skyline of New York City as he peered hopelessly through the endless concrete towers which plagued the vicinity.

"Where the hell did she go?"

Suddenly a roaring explosion blasted into Peter's ears, though no alert from the spider-senses were present. As Peter searched frantically for the cause of the disturbance, his heart now beating increasingly louder in his chest, a large, grey cloud came into view as it billowed uncontrollably from the bustling streets below and into the cold evening air.

"Shit," Peter cursed under his breath, shooting a sturdy bio-cable from his wrist as he soared towards the frantic streets below, hearing numerous screams of fear and panic from citizens as he drew closer.

Soon Peter landed on the concrete floor with grace, instinctively studying the area with caution as grey, smokey clouds filled the vicinity.

"Over here, Spider," a feminine voice rang out into the air, alerting Peter instantly as he shot his head in the direction of the speaker.

The Cat was standing confidently besides a large gaping hole in the earth. Rubble and debris completely surrounded the area as she gestured towards the entrance into the city sewers with her leather-clad index finger.

"W-what... the actual _hell_... do you think you're doing?!" Peter breathed incredulously through a clenched jaw, spit seething through his teeth as he spat every syllable in anger.

"We needed an entrance, didn't we?" the Black Cat smirked, stooping into a seductive crouching position beside the hole in the ground. "I just created one."

"You didn't need to blow a hole in the ground! The boys in blue'll be here any second, Cat!" Peter hissed, rubbing his gloved hands into his red and blue mask. He contemplated the next few moves very thouroughly.

They had both made it this far already, had they not? If the Cat was serious about the entire ordeal; about knowing information on the dangerous psychopath who attempted to nuke a large portion of New York City, then this was an easy choice. Right?

Would Peter risk the image of Spider-man, New York's iconic hero, once more? Even to stop a hardened criminal? Was this really the right choice?

"You coming, Spidey?" a seductive voice suddenly protruded into Peter's ears. Snapping out of his temporary trance, Peter absentmindedly nodded and began walking towards the hole in the earth.

"Fine. Sure. But you gotta fill me in on the plan first," he attempted to speak in a confident, brooding tone, in turn receiving an arousing purr noise from the Black Cat as she ran a hand through her platinum hair.

"Oh Spider, I like when you talk to me like that," Cat laughed quietly as she dropped into the sewers with one grace movement. Peter sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead anxiously.

"Well.. here we go," he breathed, letting a small chuckle escape his lips as he leaped into the hole also.

**Oscorp Tower**

Norman Osborn sat rigidly in his leather seat, staring blankly at his oaken desk absentmindedly before hearing a quiet knock on his office door.

"Is it you, Felicia?" Norman sighed, rubbing his temple before looking cautiously towards his large door which stood slightly ajar.

"No, Mister Osborn. Miss Hardy was relinquished earlier this evening. You sent her away yourself, sir," the confident voice of Donald Menken echoed off the office walls.

"Eh... so be it," Norman breathed, his empty gaze slowly returning back towards the large oaken desk. "Why are you here then? Don't you have work to do?"

"Hardly, sir. I've told you numerous times; we can't continue with the cross species genetics route. It simply won't comply with the other benefactors. We'll be sent into an even larger downward spiral of debts and worry," Menken explained wearily; obviously he had spoken with Norman Osborn about this topic many times before.

"To hell with the damn benefactors, Menken! I need this, don't you understand? I'll die without this," Norman cursed through clenched teeth, slamming a fist down on his desk. "We need to continue funding! I don't give two shits how we do it, but we need to continue with the genetics route! There isn't any other way."

Menken decided to choose his next particular set of words very carefully before speaking again. "T-there... there could possibly be another way. Several ways, actually, but they're all highly illegal procedures and we'll most certainly be shut down if anyone gets a whiff of our motives."

The room was filled with an eerie silence for several moments before Norman Osborn spoke again, suddenly setting a piercing glare towards his subordinate.

"Menken, I'm already dying. Shit, I could be dead by tomorrow morning's tea break. Don't you see why I'm so desperate? I mean honestly, my goddamn home was decimated last night. My son is currently fighting for his life in a hospital. The Osborn legacy will be coming to a permanent halt if I don't find a cure. I'm trusting you, Menken. Get it done," Norman Osborn spoke sternly, still staring unblinkingly towards his fellow board member.

Another moment of uncomfortable silence pierced through the air as Menken fidgeted anxiously with his collar, a bead of sweat slowly coursing down his temple.

"Yes, Mister Osborn. I'll see to it personally," he spoke in a soft voice, quickly turning to leave the grand office. Norman watched like a hawk as Menken closed the large oaken doors quietly, leaving the dying man behind, alone and weak.

Letting out a sigh filled with frustration, Norman Osborn placed a trembling hand towards his desk drawer. Due to the degenerative disease, Norman's hand had turned a sickening shade of puce. His fingernails had grown significantly. He now resembled a goblin.

Grasping the drawer handle tightly, Norman pulled it open with a little more force than necessary. Peering inside the oaken container, Norman laid eyes upon a vial of vivid green substance and a large metallic syringe.

"Power," Norman breathed, slotting the green vial into the syringe harshly. His entire body now quivering with anticipation, Norman Osborn placed the metal syringe to the nape of his wrinkled neck.

**So I finally decided to continue the story. It's been around two weeks, I think? Anyways, I'm sorry guys. I love yous. Hope you enjoyed. Remember to leave suggestions and ideas for futures updates. I promise to start updating regularly once again. Cheers for staying with me :) **


	12. Chapter 12

_Before I start... THEY'RE RECASTING SPIDEY. Ugh._

**Chapter Twelve: Discovery**

"So... how long does this passage go for, exactly?" Peter asked quizzically, growing increasingly uneasy as the two continued their journey through New York's sewer systems towards the ominous Oscorp Tower.

Peter and the Cat had been walking through putrid sludge and unfathomable piles of garbage for what seemed like an eternity before the question shot into the air; Peter didn't know how much longer he could stand the foul smell of the rubbish infested waters.

"Not long, Spider," the Cat replied softly, turning her head and shooting a small smirk in Peter's direction. "We're almost directly under the building now."

That was a relief; Peter swore he could feel something stirring inside of his boots.

"Where exactly are we going, Cat?" he asked, now annoyed at the vagueness of the entire situation.

"Look, Spidey, just follow my lead. And whatever you do, do _not_ get caught. I've been planning this whole night for months - I can't afford you messing it up, even if you are just a kid wearing a skin-tight red and blue spandex suit. Do you get me?" Cat replied, slightly agitated at Peter's unrelenting queries.

Suddenly Peter clasped a firm grip on the Cat's shoulder, glaring at her from beneath his mask, his face stern and annoyed.

"I'm not going to ask again, you... crazy cat-lady. _What_ are we doing here?" Peter spat. "And don't give me another shitty answer."

The Black Cat turned, a surprised look suddenly washing over her usually bubbly features; though it was soon replaced with an alluring smile. "Peter Parker, I can't believe what I'm seeing. Usually you're such a good boy. You're always getting high grades and we've never had a problem with you. Why start now?" she purred.

Peter's glare intensified. "You don't know anything about me," he whispered dangerously.

"I know enough," Cat smirked, raising her fingers to caress Peter's mask ever so slightly. "I know which school you attend, where you live, who your most _dearest_ friends are."

"Stay away from them," Peter was positively shaking with relentless anger now.

"I promised I would discard all information involving you so long as you keep your end of the bargain. And seeing as though we are currently arguing in the bowels of New York City, I suggest we get a move on if you have any hope of keeping that secret identity of yours a _secret_," Cat whispered into Peter's ears seductively, swirling circles with her index finger around his mouth.

Peter Parker needed to rid himself of the burden which was currently bound to his shoulders; he needed to trust the Black Cat and go through with her plans if he wanted to keep his friends and family safe. There was certainly no doubt in Peter's mind, but was it still the right decision? Is this truly what Uncle Ben would have wanted?

Could Peter risk everything Spider-Man stood for, everything he needed to protect, everyone he loved, all for the possibility of _maybe_ keeping his identity safe?

Suddenly he thought of Gwen Stacy. He thought about her laugh and her features and her figure and everything else in between. He thought about his feelings for her, the promise he had made to her dying father - the promise to protect her by keeping her out of Peter's life.

Yes. Peter needed to follow the Black Cat no matter what; he needed to keep his identity as Spider-Man safe in order to protect Gwen Stacy from his enemies. Gwen was Peter's life and he would do anything to keep her from harm's way.

"Fine," Peter spoke stiffly, moving rigidly away from the Cat. "But I want to be filled in. Where's their hard-drive that's so important to you?"

"You're obviously going to keep asking until I finally cave in, so why not?" Cat spoke firmly, rubbing her temple. "The main hard-drive is located on the seventy-fifth floor of Oscorp. I have reason to believe that the entire floor is off-limits from eight o'clock in the evening and onwards - so yes, we're trespassing." Black Cat suddenly brandished yet another alluring smile. "But don't worry, Spider," she continued, "we won't be found while we're up there. We're highly trained individuals with special gifts that will, in turn, work cooperatively off of one another and result in outstanding success. Hell, we could break into the White House if we put in enough effort."

"I highly doubt that," Peter joked darkly, returning his attention to the path ahead of them. "How long is this passage of yours?"

"Well, actually," Cat began, pulling a small object from her leather pouch. "We should be..." She proceeded to lift the small metallic instrument towards the concrete ceiling of the sewers. "Just about..." Suddenly a peculiar substance, somewhat resembling blue foam, protruded from the object in her hands as it sprayed onto the concrete above their heads. "Here..."

A roaring explosion blasted into the air as Peter instinctively covered his face with both gloves. Millions of individual pieces of rubble flew around the vicinity as smoke completely covered the area, leaving Peter near blinded.

Eventually the dust cleared, allowing to Peter to cautiously glance around the area through his already damaged lenses; debris, bricks, rubble, concrete and the likes were scattered across the wet, murky floor as rats and other various undesirable critters escaped into the darkness of the sewers.

"Great," Peter mumbled miserably to himself before suddenly realizing that a certain feline was missing from the scene.

He raised his head slowly towards the ceiling, noting the considerable hole which lay agape above.

For a moment everything went eerily silent, with Peter standing alone in the rubbish infested waters of a sewer, his anxiety and frustration increasing with every passing second. It was one thing to break into Oscorp; Peter had already caused enough damage to the once proud building over the past few months, but now he was practically breaking and entering with a woman dressed in a skin-tight dominatrix cosplay.

Suddenly a soft, alluring voice crept into the air from above. "We're gonna be late if you keep standing there goggling like an idiot," the Cat chuckled airily.

"Is there any more damage you could possibly cause, physically _or_ mentally?" Peter breathed from below before leaping towards the agape hole in the sewer ceiling.

"Give me some time; I'm sure I could figure something out," Cat grinned cheekily as Peter landed beside her inside an entirely new room above the sewers.

The entire room was gleaming white and empty; only a single metallic door stood at the far end.

"Well... this is different," Peter quipped under his breath, searching the vicinity for any other objects, though absolutely nothing came into view.

"Give me a sec," Black Cat spoke, shooting her eyes towards the black watch on her wrist. It appeared as though she was making some calibrations on the time, though this was hardly the place to do it.

"Hey, uh - It's eight-fifty if you're wondering," Peter said impatiently, staring at the Cat as she fiddled awkwardly with the watch.

"Why, thank you, Spider," she replied, still staring attentively towards her wrist. Suddenly it began to beep loudly, causing Peter to shoot a glance toward her.

"What are you doing?" he asked cautiously.

Almost at the instant the words had left Peter's mouth the metallic door at the far end of the room shot open.

"Ready, Spidey?" Cat smirked as she walked suggestively towards the ajar door.

**Norman Osborn's Office**

Otto Octavius needed to report the sudden news to Norman Osborn as soon as it had developed; there were intruders within the building.

The grand oaken office door stood firmly closed directly in front of Octavius as he inhaled a large gulp of breath, preparing for the worst.

"Sir, I have some troubling news -" Otto began, opening the wooden doors before being treated to a grotesque sight; a large, green monster sprawled lifelessly across the carpet floor.

"Shit, Norman - I told you not to take much serum in such a short period of time -" Otto began trailing off as he rushed to the side of the green monster, which appeared to not be breathing.

Placing a few fingers on the Goblin's scaly neck, Octavius searched anxiously for a pulse. "Wake up, fool," his breathed intensified.

A few moments of eerie silence followed as Otto slumped hopelessly onto the floor, seemingly defeated in his search for a pulse. The silence lasted for an eternity before something startled the quivering figure of Octavius; the Goblin was moving ever so slightly.

"N-Norman?"

The yellow eyes of the Green abomination shot open suddenly, startling Otto as he leaped onto his stout, pudgy feet.

It was unlike anything Octavius had ever seen up until this point in his life; the Goblin was even larger, with it's menacing horns piercing further into the air than before. Numerous spikes had formed along the spine and shoulders of the monster and it's teeth appeared larger and thousands of times more dangerous.

"N-N-Norman - listen to me - w-we need to -"

Otto's pointless stutters were completely cut off as the goblinesque fingers of Norman Osborn wrapped around his throat. Otto attempted to plead with the monster, though only splutters and spit emerged from his strained mouth.

"**_I am not Norman_**," the Green Goblin breathed furiously before turning towards the large windows of the office which provided an overlooking view of New York.

With the mere flick of a wrist, Otto Octavius was sent crashing into the cold night air as glass flew in all directions.

**Guys, thanks for reading the story thus far. I love you all. **

**BUT news on the future of Spider-Man has recently surfaced. He is now joining the MCU and will be robooted in the cinematic universe in 2017. I don't know how to feel about this, as I really enjoyed Andrew and Tobey's portrayals of the character. But only time will tell to see if it'll be a better film than it's previous incarnations. **


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